The Winchester Three Part 2: The Recovery
by insearchofcheez
Summary: SISfic! Part 2 continuation of The Winchester Three. Laney is on the road to physically recovering from the accident. But the three Winchester siblings are dealing with the emotional fallout and grief after their father's death in different ways. Follows Season 2 storyline. Lots of overprotective/big brotherly love. Angst. Hurt/Comfort.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

 **Six Weeks Later**

"I think we can move all the furniture and stuff back to its proper place," said Laney.

They had been back at Bobby's place for a month and a half now. Her rehabilitation was going well and the cast on her arm had been removed. She'd graduated from the wheelchair to crutches, so she didn't need the wide open spaces to navigate anymore.

"Did you hear me Dean?"

He grunted, but didn't remark on her suggestion. And that's the way it had been for the last few weeks. Their first week back had been great. Outside of her therapy, they'd spent the days relaxing, hanging out, eating junk food and watching old movies together. Then Dean began work on restoring the Impala to its former glory and everything shifted. His attitude and demeanor had totally changed. He never engaged her conversation anymore unless it was to ask the most basic questions. Whenever she spoke to him or asked him question, she got one word responses or grunts. He barely raised his head from underneath the hood of the car. Laney didn't know what to do to draw him back out. She missed him desperately, more so than when she'd gone away to school, because this time he even though he was in the same house with her, he might as well have been a million miles away.

Things weren't going much better with Sam either. She'd caught him and Dean having some heated discussions, but she never knew what they were about. Whenever she walked in on them they quickly changed the subject. But she wasn't stupid. Whatever it was she had a feeling it was all about Dad's death. Not that either of them had or would talk to her about it. They wanted her completely focused on her recovery. Really, she figured they just wanted her out of the way.

Sam had withdrawn into research and spent all his free time down in Bobby's basement, at the local libraries, or buried in his laptop. Even Bobby had made himself scarce, disappearing for days at a time on "business". Laney was sure he was giving them their space. But a big part of her believed he couldn't handle the tension in the house. She could barely stand it. It left her head aching everyday and spirit faltering. The only respite was the two hours a day, five days a week that she was spending at the rehabilitation center in the city. But she was doing well enough that those hours and days would start reducing and then she'd have nowhere to go. She'd be stuck in the deafening silence and the ever expanding gulf between her two brothers and the memory of their dead father. A father, who was apparently causing as much grief dead as he did alive.

Laney eased herself off the stool she'd been perched on while watching her brother work. She had been hoping he'd ask her how her day had gone. But he didn't and she couldn't stand sitting there any longer. She reached out for her crutches.

"Ouch," she yelped, when she banged her knee against a steel toolbox.

She heard a tool clang to the ground. "You okay?" asked Dean, coming out from underneath the hood.

"It speaks," she muttered to herself.

She turned to look at him. "Banged my knee, it'll be fine."

"Be more careful."

Laney frowned. It seemed the only way to get her brother to show any interest in her was if she was hurt or bleeding. Otherwise, silence.

"Yeah," said Laney with a shrug.

"If you need a pain pill, they're up on the top shelf in the bathroom cabinet," said Dean.

"Yeah, okay," said Laney, with a sigh. She crutched her way back into the house. She could feel Dean's eyes on her back until she rounded the corner.

She peeked out of the kitchen window to see him already back at work on the car. She went to the bathroom and grabbed the pill bottle, took two pills out and flushed them down the toilet; as she had done every day since she'd arrived at Bobby's. Neither Sam nor Dean knew what she was doing and they would have definitely disapproved. The pain in her body, especially her leg had been pretty intense early on, but she pushed through it, and suffered in silence. The truth was that part of her welcomed the distraction from the other hurt she was feeling. The kind of hurt no pill was going to help.

It bothered her that her brothers were so intent on keeping her medicated. As if keeping her medicated, kept her happy, and out of their way, while they all avoided dealing with their feelings about their father.

She contemplated asking Dean where Sam had gone, but when she looked back out of the window at him, she noticed how much more relaxed he seemed without her watching him work. It was better if she left him alone.

She pulled out her phone to dial Sam, and then changed her mind. If he wanted her to know where he was, he would have told her. If her brothers wanted space, then she really had no choice but to give it to them.

Laney slowly made her way up the stairs to her room. Computer and electronic parts were all over the place. Bobby had set up a large work table for her that took up a huge part of the room. She'd been attempting to rebuild a laptop like her old "supercomputer" that had been destroyed in the accident. She wasn't sure if it was her brain injury or lack of desire – probably a combination of both – but it had been coming along much slower than she'd anticipated. Her heart just wasn't in it the way it used to be and it seemed harder to do than she remembered. Back in the old days she would have rebuilt it in a couple of weeks tops. She didn't even have it halfway done and she'd been working on it every single day for five weeks. She found herself easily and often distracted and unable to focus.

For lack of anything better to do, she laid down on her bed and stared at the ceiling until she heard the muted voices of her brothers talking outside by the garage. She quickly got out of her bed and hopped to the window, but she'd missed whatever they'd been talking about. To her surprise Dean was washing up and putting some tools away.

She grabbed her crutches and was about to make her way downstairs when she heard footsteps approaching. Sam met her at the door.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey Sammy, what's up?"

She immediately noticed the guilty look on his face. "Well – uh – Dean and I – uh – we got a lead on a case. It's nearby so we're going to go check it out."

"What's the case?" asked Laney, already thinking of ways she might be able to help.

"Don't really know yet, but we'll call if we need a hand with research. We won't be far. It's the next town over."

"What aren't you telling me Sam?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, shifting nervously foot to foot.

Laney narrowed her eyes. "What's going on?"

"Nothing is going on. I just feel bad, leaving you here on you your own."

As if they hadn't already been leaving on her own, more or less, for weeks now, she thought.

"I'm a big girl Sammy I think I can handle it fine. I'll call if anything comes up."

Sam smiled in relief and leaned down to kiss the top of her head. "Okay, kiddo, we won't be gone too long. Remember rule number one."

Laney plastered on a fake smile. "Yeah, yeah, don't go outside, I get it. No worries, I'll be careful."

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"Was she mad?"

"She seemed okay, but she's knows something is up. You know you can't put anything past her," said Sam.

Dean nodded his head. "Ain't that the truth." He sighed heavily. "We'll fill her in as soon as we know more."

Sam nodded.

"How's she been doing at rehab?" asked Dean. For the first week of her therapy, he'd hadn't missed a session. It was an hour drive each way to the facility and with her two hours in between, it made for a big chunk of time out of every day. Time that Dean felt was better spent getting the Impala up and running again. So Sam ended up charged with driving her back and forth.

"She said it's going great. And look at her, she's zooming around on those crutches pretty good."

"What have her therapists said?"

"I haven't talked to them lately," Sam said, guiltily.

Dean shot his brother an annoyed look. "What do you mean you haven't talked to them lately? What have you been doing?"

Sam shrugged his shoulders, ignoring his brother's glare. "I go down to the University library and do research."

"Research?" he asked incredulously. "Because you're not doing enough already?"

"Look Dean, I haven't forgotten that we have a demon to track down."

"Are you implying that I have?"

"No, I'm just saying you've got other things on your mind right now."

"What's your problem?" asked Dean, angrily.

"My problem? Why don't you ask Laney how therapy is going? Oh wait, you haven't said more than five words to her in the last month! I don't think you'd notice if she broke her other leg."

Dean slammed brakes on the car and stopped on the side of the road. He jumped out of his seat, ran around to Sam's door, opening it before he could react, and yanked his brother out of his seat. They started wrestling with each other. Dean got in a good punch. Sam wheeled back ready to punch back but then stopped short.

"Did that make you feel better?" asked Sam, holding the side of his face.

Dean took another swing at him, but this time Sam successfully blocked him.

"Don't you ever imply that I don't care about my sister!" spat Dean.

"This isn't about Laney," said Sam, wiping at the tiny trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth.

"Oh yeah, then what's this about?"

"You know what it's about. This is about Dad!"

Sam took up a defensive stance because he was sure Dean would start taking swings at him again. But much to his surprise, Dean's shoulder slumped in defeat.

"You don't know what you're talking about Sam."

"Yeah, I think I do. I think that instead of dealing with Dad's death, you're burying yourself in fixing that damn car just so you don't have to think about him. I think you're ignoring Laney because you're too afraid of her questions, because you don't want to deal with her grief."

"And you disappearing the second you get home and not sticking around at her therapy sessions isn't doing the same damn thing?"

"I'm not trying to avoid her. I'm trying to get justice. I'm trying to get the yellow-eyed bastard that's responsible for all of this."

"And just what are you planning to do when you find him? Go off half-cocked and alone to take him on?"

Sam shook his head. "I don't get you Dean, the way you talk, it's like you've forgotten the mission."

"What mission Sammy? Killing yellow-eyes? I thought our lives were about saving people and hunting things? Not vengeance."

"You know, it's like you don't care anymore," said Sam, sadly.

Before Dean could answer, Sam's cell phone rang loudly. The ringtone belonged to his sister. He fished it out of his pocket and immediately answered.

"Everything okay Laney?"

 _"_ _Yeah, it's fine. I was just wondering if you guys were going to be back by dinner."_

Sam looked at his brother for a moment. "I'm not sure."

 _"_ _Alright, well I'll just make myself something then."_

"You sure you're okay?"

 _"_ _I swear I'm fine. Don't stay out too late. I've got therapy extra early tomorrow."_

Sam swore silently. He had forgotten. "Right, what time again?"

He heard his sister's impatient sigh on the other end of the line. _"7 am, so we have to be on the road by 6."_

"No problem, kiddo. See you soon."

 _"_ _Love you."_

"You too."

"She okay?" asked Dean.

"She's fine," he answered crisply. He looked at his watch. "Look, let's just check out this Harvelle's Roadhouse, find out who this Ellen woman is and get back home."

Dean sighed heavily, nodded, and turned back towards the car.

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Laney clicked her phone shut and set it - more like slammed it - on its charger. She was angry. She knew something was up and as usual she was being kept out of the loop. She decided to see if there was anything she could find out on her own.

She went into her brothers' room and noticed that it was a lot tidier than she expected; which meant that Dean wasn't spending much time in there. As a matter of fact, his bed was made; which had to mean he hadn't been sleeping there either. She quickly connected the dots, remembering the pile of pillows and blankets that she kept finding shoved into the downstairs hall closet. Dean had obviously been camping out on the couch. That was more disturbing to her than any of the other changes in his behavior recently.

She grabbed Sam's laptop bag and rifled through it, not finding anything of interest; lots of notes about weather patterns and strange phenomena, but nothing unusual, for them anyway. She looked over at his duffel stuffed in the corner of the room and hesitated for a moment. It wasn't like her to violate their privacy like that, but really, they'd left her with no other choice. After a moment she hobbled over to the bag and placed it on his bed. She pulled things out one by one and took a mental note of how the bag was arranged so she could put it all back the way she'd found it. Dean would never notice such a thing, but Sam most definitely would.

She mostly found clothes, as expected. She found her father's journal tucked inside a sweatshirt. She didn't open it. She'd read through it before. She knew it word for word. She found a large cardboard envelope which she dumped on the bed; in it were pictures of Jessica and her own school pictures from over the years. She smiled fondly at a photo of the three siblings together from a year earlier, shortly before she went off to college. She put it down and noticed a shiny metal object poking from underneath another picture. She picked it up. The world spun around her for a minute. It was a set of dog tags. Her father's dog tags from when he'd been in the Marines. She gripped them tightly and sat down hard on the bed.

After Dean had smashed her antique box that her father had given to her, she had nothing left of his in her possession. She'd longed for something to have, some piece of him that would help her feel closer to him. Reconnect with him. Dean had the Impala, Sam had the journal, but Laney had been left with nothing.

She quickly and carefully put everything back in the bag the way she'd found it, minus the dog tags. She had to keep them, for a little while, at least.

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Hours later and already long dark outside, Laney finally gave up on waiting up for her brothers to get home. She had an early therapy session in the morning and needed to get her rest. She was able to shower pretty quickly now that she didn't have her arm in a cast. The bulky brace she had on her leg had been replaced with a softer and smaller one. She was allowed to remove the brace for showering, although she had to sit in a special chair while she showered. She still wasn't allowed to bear her full weight on the leg just yet.

Laney dried herself off when she was done and secured the brace to her leg before she hopped over to the sink. She stood in front of the mirror and studied herself. She had put on a few pounds since being back on her feet and she had to admit, it did her good. The scars from where the rods and screws were implanted were still red and very noticeable, just like the scar from her abdominal surgery. Those scars didn't bother her at all. It was the two crisscrossing scars on her chest inflicted by the demon Meg that bothered her more than anything. They were a reminder of her stupidity in getting caught and setting in motion the chain of events that eventually led to her father's death. Now she was brain damaged too and her brothers were hurting badly and no one was talking about it and really, it was all her fault.

She was combing through her hair when she heard a car pull up into the driveway and park. She looked out the window. Her brothers were finally back. She quickly got dressed.

She came out of the bathroom to find Sam looking in his duffel bag. Her eyes went wide and her heart stopped for a moment, but he looked back at her with a smile and pulled out his own bed clothes.

"Hey, sorry we were so late."

"It's okay. I'm glad you're back in one - what happened to your face?" she asked, noticing the cut on his lip and the faint bruise on his cheek.

"Occupational hazard," he said with a smirk.

Laney frowned. "Are you going to tell me about this case?"

Sam sighed heavily. "How about I fill you in on the drive into the city tomorrow? I'm pretty beat."

"Yeah okay," she said reluctantly. "See you in the morning."

"Okay."

"Hey, where's Dean?"

Sam's eyes drifted towards the window and Laney had her answer. She crutched over to see Dean hunched over the Impala, working by the industrial lights he had strung around the work garage. She nodded her head disbelievingly and walked back to her room, shutting the door behind her and climbing into bed. She pulled the dog tags from underneath her pillow and fell asleep clutching them to her chest.

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Laney was startled awake by the sound of her alarm clock. Normally she was up before it went off, but she had stayed up so late the night before, she was already behind on sleep. She knew it was going to be a tough day.

She dressed as quickly as she could. She could hear Sam tinkering around the bathroom, probably awakened by her alarm.

She went downstairs and was surprised to see the couch empty. She'd fully expected Dean to be there. Instead she looked out the window to see him already working on the car. Or had he even been to bed yet? It was hard to tell.

She made a pot of coffee and filled up a couple of travel mugs to take on the road. She thought about it for a moment before she pulled an extra one out of the cabinet and filled it up for Dean, deciding to take a chance and bring it out to him.

"Hey Dean," she said, juggling his mug carefully

He didn't seem startled when she called out to him, which meant he must have heard her coming.

"Hey short-round," he said.

Laney smiled, pleased by the use of one of his nicknames for her.

"I brought you a cup of joe. Sam and I have to hit the road extra early today."

"Thanks," he said, grabbing the mug from her.

"Don't mention it."

"So why so early today?" he asked.

"Ah, they're doing a full physical today. Blood work, MRI of my leg and all that, see how things are coming along."

Dean looked irritated. Sam hadn't mentioned it to him. But Sam probably had no clue either, he thought.

"I see," he said, uncertainly. "Maybe I should come with, talk to the doctors."

"Nah, it's okay. Results won't be back for a day or two. They'll just call you," said Laney, looking around. "Besides, looks like you're pretty busy here."

"I can leave it for a day," said Dean, when he noticed the sad look of resignation on her face.

Laney was ready to say okay, but she could tell by the way he looked at her and back towards the Impala, and the tense set of his shoulders, that he really didn't want to go. He wanted to keep working.

"Don't worry about it Dean. I'll keep you posted."

"Okay."

Laney smiled, trying not to show how upset she was at the relief that was clearly written all over her brother's face. He didn't want to go. He didn't want to be bothered.

"Well, I won't hold you up any longer. Catch you later." With that, Laney quickly went back inside the house.

"Shit," muttered Dean, flinging a work glove on the ground. _What the hell is wrong with me?_

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"So fill me in," said Laney. "Tell me what you guys were up to yesterday." She and Sam were headed into the city for her appointment and she planned to take advantage of the hour to grill him for info.

Sam sighed. "I cracked the code on one of Dad's old cell phones."

"Oh," said Laney, quietly.

"Yeah, he had a message on there that he'd saved for four months from a woman named Ellen Harvelle."

"Never heard of her."

"Neither had we."

"You tracked her down," said Laney, more a statement than a question.

"Yup. She's runs a roadhouse out on Route 82."

"Okay," said Laney, "So who is she?"

"Turns out this roadhouse is kind of like a meeting place for hunters. They hang out there, trade information."

Laney's eyes widened in surprise. "Is she a hunter too?"

"No, but her husband was."

"Was?"

"Yeah, he's dead and I guess he and Dad worked together on a few cases."

"Huh. So why did Dad save her message?"

Sam was quiet for a full minute. Laney was beginning to wonder if he'd even heard her ask her question.

"She knows about yellow-eyes."

Sam looked worriedly out of the corner of his eye at his sister when he heard her sharp intake of breath.

"Does she know where he is?" she asked shakily.

"No, but she's got a guy that works there, name is Ash, computer genius. He's setting up a program for us, like the one you made for Dad. See if we can't track him down again."

"Why didn't you just ask me?"

Sam stuttered for a moment. "Uh – well – it's – uh – not that we don't think you can do it, it's just, you know, you've got your recovery to focus on."

 _Yeah, right. This is really because you think I'm so brain damaged I couldn't do it again._

Laney let it go. "What else happened?"

"She gave us some information on a possible case."

"What does it involve?"

Laney noticed her brother's face visibly pale. "Sammy?"

"Killer clowns."

Laney nearly choked on the sip of coffee she'd just taken. "Clowns?"

Sam nodded tightly.

"Oh Sam, I'm so sorry."

Sam's fear of clowns was well known and documented in the Winchester household. Dean had never failed to torture him to no end on the subject. Give him a vengeful spirit or a skinwalker any day of the week and it was no big deal. Give him a clown and all bets were off.

Laney couldn't help but laugh off and on the rest of the drive. It was almost enough to take her mind off the fact that her brothers' didn't trust her to help them anymore. Almost.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hi All, I forgot to mention that Part 2 will post probably every other day instead of daily. It's about half as long as Part 1. I am furiously editing Part 3 and have been drafting Part 4 which is all brand new material. It's all good stuff that I can't wait to share. Thanks for reading and reviewing.**

Chapter 2

"Do you know what's going on?"

"About what?" asked Sam, while breaking down and cleaning his gun. They were prepping their weapons cache after being given a heads up by Ellen. No telling what it was going to take to kill a clown. He shuddered with the thought.

"I got a call from Laney's case manager today. She asked me to come in with her tomorrow to discuss her test results," said Dean.

"From the physical they gave her yesterday?"

"I'm guessing so."

Sam shrugged his shoulders. "I had no idea. Laney didn't mention anything about it."

"They want to meet with us both."

Sam nodded absently. "I'm sure it's nothing. Probably just want to go over the progress she's made."

"Yeah, maybe," said Dean, unconvinced. "She seem okay to you lately?"

"I haven't noticed anything different. But we don't talk much though. She's usually exhausted after therapy and sleeps all the way home."

"Hey guys," said Laney, hopping into the room on one crutch. "I'm cooking dinner, be ready in about an hour."

Dean and Sam exchanged guilty looks.

Laney silently sighed. "Let me guess, you guys aren't going to be home for dinner?"

"Sorry, kiddo, we just thought if we got an earlier start it would be better so we won't get back too late," said Dean.

"It's only an hour," said Laney, trying hard not to pout.

"Yeah, but we want to get there before dark," said Dean, apologetically. "But save it for us and we'll eat it when we get back."

"Fine," said Laney, with a dramatic sigh. _So much for a nice family dinner._

"And don't crutches usually come in pairs?" asked Dean, with a disapproving look.

"Usually," she said, before turning around to hop back to the kitchen.

Dean frowned at her back and almost changed his mind about staying for dinner. But he needed to work a case, he needed a good hunt, and then he needed to get back to finishing the Impala.

He gathered up all the weapons and threw them in the duffel bag. "Let's hit the road."

Sam nodded and gathered up his stuff.

Dean stopped at the door and called out to his sister. "We're outta here. Don't forget –"

"Yeah, yeah, rule number one, I haven't forgotten," said Laney, exasperated.

After a brief second, she heard the door slam shut and lock.

"Be careful," she muttered.

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It was shortly after midnight when Sam and Dean returned home. Laney woke up the second she heard the car pull up the driveway but stayed put in bed. She had trouble falling back asleep and spent the next few hours tossing and turning before finally getting up at daybreak. When she looked out the window towards the work garage, she wasn't surprised at all to see Dean already at work on the Impala. She wondered if he'd even gone to bed that night.

With a heavy sigh she got dressed and made her way downstairs to the kitchen where she found it exactly as she left it; two plates of foil wrapped dinner on the table, uneaten.

Laney decided right then and there she wasn't going to cook anymore meals. They could fend for themselves. If it was too hard to sit down together for a meal, than why bother wasting her time. All it did was make her more depressed and bitter.

She angrily grabbed the plates and threw the food in the trash. She tossed the plates in the sink with such force that one of them cracked right into two.

She cursed and grabbed the broken pieces, tossing them in trash before turning on the faucet to wash the dishes in the sink. She didn't like what was happening to her family. They were drifting apart, everyone going off to their separate corners. Even when they did speak to each other, nobody was really saying anything. She missed both of her brothers desperately. She missed Dean's snark and gruff love. Sam's sensitivity. And she never thought it would happen in a million years, but she missed their hovering now that it was gone. At least then, she knew they cared.

"What the hell Laney!"

Laney jumped at the sound of Dean's voice. She'd been so lost in thought; she didn't even hear him walk up behind her.

"What?" she asked, annoyed.

"What did you do to your hand?" he demanded.

Laney looked down at the sink to see the bright red blood washing down the drain with the dirty dishwater. It was then she saw the gaping cut in the palm of her hand, gushing blood.

"Oh crap," she hissed.

Dean grabbed a clean dishtowel and snatched her hand from her. He wrapped it tightly as he pushed her down into a seat at the kitchen table.

"Here, hold pressure on this," he said, "I'll be right back."

Laney nodded. Now that she knew the cut was there she could feel it stinging. But it didn't really bother her. She stared out the kitchen window until she heard Dean approaching.

He dropped the first aid kit on the table and pulled up a chair next to her.

"Let me take a look," he said, grabbing her hand.

She handed her hand over and watched as he unwrapped the towel. He studied it for a few moments, as he cleaned it off with an antiseptic.

"It's a bleeder but it's not deep. Doesn't need any stitches. Keep it wrapped a day or two. It' going to hurt like a bitch using those crutches though."

Laney shrugged her shoulders. "I'll live."

They were silent for a minute.

"So what happened?" he asked, softly as he treated her hand.

"I broke a plate. I didn't even notice I cut it."

She looked up from her hand to see her Dean deeply frowning. She was expecting a smart ass remark or a lecture, but she got neither. He simply nodded and fastened the bandage to her hand. He closed up the first aid kit before he finally looked at her.

"What time do we need to hit the road?"

"For what?" she asked, confused.

"I'm going into the city with you today."

Laney perked up a bit. "Really?"

"Yeah, your case manager called yesterday. They want to meet with me, discuss your test results and stuff."

"Oh," said Laney, disappointed. _Of course, why would he want to come just to be there for me? It's only because they're making him._

"We have to leave in an hour," Laney answered finally.

Dean nodded. "Good, gives me time to shower." He rose from the table and was almost out of the kitchen when Laney called out to him, "Dean?"

He stopped and turned towards her. "Yeah?"

Whatever she wanted to say was lost once she saw the tired and worn look on her brother's face. "Thanks for taking care of my hand."

"Don't mention it," he said.

He turned away, but not before Laney again noticed the look of relief on his face that she hadn't asked him any hard questions.

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"Hi Dean, it's good to see you. It's been a while."

"Uh, yeah, been really busy," Dean said guiltily.

"So, I've heard."

Dean tried hard not to glare at Laney's case manager. Her name was Debra Sweet and she was a tough no nonsense woman. The kind Dean would have appreciated under different circumstances. She was Laney's counselor and in charge of managing all aspects of her recovery.

Sam gave his brother a look that told him to behave. Dean sat back in his seat and tried his best to relax.

"Well let's get down to business," said Debra. She pulled open a file folder on her desk. "Delaney's therapists all report that she's doing very well. She's made fantastic progress with her physical therapy. She's even ahead of schedule. They've actually had to reign her in from trying to do too much too fast."

"That's sounds like her. She's a bit of an overachiever," said Sam, with a smile.

"We've noticed," said Debra, smiling back at Sam. "In another week or so we'll start moving away from using the crutches, and start letting her bear her full weight on the leg so we can get her walking without any assistance."

"That's good news," said Sam. Dean nodded in agreement.

Debra cleared her voice. "I do have some concerns."

"Like what?" asked Dean

"Well, her occupational therapist, who has been working with her on her cognitive skills, short-term memory retention and other neurological tasks, says that Delaney has been, not uncooperative exactly, but more like reluctant in their sessions. She's showing a great deal of frustration with the tasks assigned to her. Now, I understand she functioned at genius levels before the accident, and IQ testing, shows that her numbers are where they were before the accident. But some of her basic skills are lagging, like short-term memory and reading comprehension, some problem solving."

"What exactly are you saying?" interrupted Dean.

"I'm saying that Delaney might feel she's above the therapy. She's used to these things coming easily to her and now they don't, so instead of putting any effort, she's pretending there's nothing wrong and refusing to make any attempts."

Dean pursed his lips. "Well her neurologist told us that she might be difficult."

"I can assure you that this isn't normal behavior for her," said Sam.

"It may not have been normal behavior for her before, but this is her new normal," said Debra. "You have to understand that we're dealing with a new Delaney. Her brain chemistry and function has been permanently altered. I'm not saying she'll never regain the level of cognitive function she had, but I am saying that she has to kind of re-learn how to learn. The days of her photographic memory are over; she has to learn the good old fashioned way, with hard work. It's going to require a lot of effort from her. More importantly, she has to want it."

"So what can we do about it?" asked Dean.

"I think you should both have a serious discussion with her about it. She's being stubborn and I think the only way she'll get through it is if you champion the cause. I've talked to her about it, but she has a tendency to just shut down."

Dean nodded. Great, another thing he needed to worry about.

"Anything else?" he asked.

"Well, the results of the MRI on her leg came in. Everything is healing well, the only thing they were seeing that was unexpected was the severe soft tissue swelling. And we got back Delaney's blood work which might explain some of that. We run a test to specifically check on the level of painkillers and other medications in her system. The pain medication we prescribed is pretty heavy duty so it's a way for us to make sure they're not being abused and to help us wean her off them slowly and according to her needs."

Dean felt his blood pressure rise. If his sister was abusing painkillers, all bets were off. He was going to put her over his knee and knock some sense into her.

Sam scooted forward on his seat. "Okay and…"

"Her levels for every drug we tested for were at zero."

Dean blinked quickly in surprise. "Zero?"

"Yeah, and based on the test, I'd say it's been a few weeks since she's taken any of her pain medication or anti-inflammatories. Quite frankly, I don't know how she's doing it. She has to be in a considerable amount of pain."

Dean had to bite back a curse. What the hell was she doing with all the pain meds he'd been giving her?

"Why would – I don't understand," said Sam, turning to look at Dean.

"I can't say for sure, I don't really know what's going on inside her head," said Debra.

"Isn't it your job to know?" asked Dean. "You are her counselor."

Debra took a deep breath. "Yes, I am her counselor, but I can't make Delaney talk. I'm mostly here to listen, but she hasn't exactly been very open. My best guess, is that with someone like your sister, who is a kind of Type A personality, this is a measure of her exerting some control over what have been uncontrollable circumstances. Everything that has happened to her has been out of her hands and this is one way of taking back power."

"By suffering in pain?" asked Dean in disbelief.

"Yes, I've seen it before. There's a part of her that may feel she actually deserves it. She has survivor's guilt and she probably feels like a burden to those around her who have to take care of her, and she's punishing herself for her weakness. Some it is probably subconscious."

"Freaking ridiculous," muttered Dean.

"What can we do?" asked Sam, ignoring Dean's remark.

"Encourage her to open up in therapy. Encourage her to talk period. If she won't talk to me, maybe she'll talk to you two. She probably needs some reassurances. I would also like to suggest that you two join her in a counseling session or two, so you can get an idea of where her head is at."

Sam nodded. "Okay."

 _Over my dead body,_ thought Dean.

Debra smiled. "Over all Delaney is doing very well, especially with her physical therapy. She's very determined to be back on her feet. I think everything else we'll work out with time and a little elbow grease."

Sam and Dean got up from their seats and turned to leave.

"Dean, would you mind if I talked to you alone for a minute?"

Dean traded a look with Sam that said he'd rather do anything but be stuck in a room with a shrink for five minutes.

"I'll wait in the hall," said Sam.

Once the door closed Dean took a seat again.

"I wanted to talk to you alone, because I don't want Sam to feel his role in your sister's recovery isn't important when I say this to you, but I think you really need to step up to the plate more."

Dean looked at her incredulously. _Who does this lady think she is?_

" _You_ are the father figure in your sister's life. She really looks to you for strength and guidance. Now I understand that you are dealing with your father's death too, but I'm concerned that your sister won't even talk about him in regards to herself. When we've discussed it, her concerns are always about what's happening with you and your brother. She's more concerned with how you two are dealing with it, than she is. And that is really unhealthy."

"What am I supposed to do?" asked Dean, testily.

"Encourage her to talk about your father. If she doesn't deal with it, it's going to eat her up inside."

Dean stared at the woman for a moment expressionless, wondering, just who she was really talking about.

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"So, what did she say to you in there?" asked Sam

They were sitting in the cafeteria grabbing breakfast before they headed over to observe Laney in her physical therapy.

"Nothing important," said Dean.

"Dean, seriously, if it was about Laney I want to know."

Dean sighed heavily and put his breakfast sandwich down. "She said that Laney won't talk about Dad in counseling."

Sam frowned.

"Or actually that she's worried about us, but won't talk about her own feelings," added Dean.

Sam scrutinized his brother for a moment. "What do we do about it?"

"I don't know. But I'm not going to make her talk about him if she doesn't want to."

"Like someone else I know," said Sam with the roll of his eyes.

"Sam, don't start with me."

"I'm not trying to start something Dean. I'm just saying that if the counselor thinks she should be talking about him, maybe we should. Because you're not dealing with Dad's death and neither is she. It's not good."

"And you're dealing with Dad's death? Running off on any lead that might lead to the demon isn't dealing with anything. It's just avoiding the issue."

Sam bit down hard on his lip. They were in public and it wasn't the place to make a scene. He got up angrily and tossed his food in the trash. He walked away from his brother without looking back.

Dean pushed his food away. "Shit," he muttered.

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Dean sat watching his sister during her physical therapy. She was doing some kind of water exercises in the swimming pool. Sam was obviously still angry and hadn't joined him, which didn't actually bother him in the least. He didn't need someone breathing down his neck asking him about his feelings. He just wanted to be left alone.

He studied his sister closely for the first time in a few weeks. She'd put on a few pounds and added some muscle to her upper body, no doubt from the time in the wheelchair and on crutches. She worked hard in the pool, never lagging behind or being told to work harder. He recognized the steely determination in her face. He'd seen that face many times before; whenever she'd been working on building some kind of complicated computer program or caught up in some serious research or when she took her first toddling steps as a baby. That memory made him smile.

But in the hour and a half he'd been watching her, he noticed that she didn't hang in a group with any of the other patients. During her free time, when she was allowed to do whatever exercises or activities she wanted, she made her way to the deep end of the pool and floated on her back, staring blankly at the ceiling. He wondered how much of a disservice he was really doing by not engaging with her more. He wanted to, he really did, but all he could think about was getting the Impala up and running again, and getting back on the road. He was surprised too, by how much he enjoyed working their current case, even with all the animosity between him and his little brother, it felt good to be working towards something, instead of just sitting and waiting.

"How's she doing?"

Dean's head snapped up in surprise.

"Hey Sammy, thought you got lost."

Sam didn't say anything as he took a seat next to his brother.

Dean sighed. "She's just finishing up. I think this is it for the day."

Sam nodded and sighed. "So what are we going to do about what the case manager said? About her not taking her pain meds?"

"We'll talk to her. I'm not looking forward to it. You know what pain in the ass she's been these days."

Sam's eyebrows rose. "Really? I think she's been pretty quiet actually."

Dean shrugged his shoulders. "Huh. Well we should probably find out what's going on inside that head of hers."

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"So hit me. What did Debra say? What kind of trouble am I in?" asked Laney

"You know, you ask that like you know you've been doing something wrong," said Dean.

Laney shrugged her shoulders. "I figure if they managed to get you to come in it must have been something big."

"We can talk about it when we get back to Bobby's," said Dean. On the road driving was the last place he wanted to have this conversation.

"Why not now? That way when we get back,you can get right to work on the Impala. So the day's not completely wasted."

"My day isn't wasted," said Dean, irritated by his sister's tone.

Laney glanced at him disbelievingly, shrugged and looked back towards the road. She'd gotten over her fear of being back in a car, but occasionally she flashbacked to the accident.

"Fine, whatever," she muttered.

"Okay, fine let's chat," snapped Dean.

"Dean," said Sam, with warning in his voice.

"No, if she wants to talk now, than lets do this. How about you start by telling us why you haven't been taking any pain meds or the anti-inflammatories for your leg?"

"How do you know about that?" asked Laney, turning in her seat towards Dean, and glancing at Sam in the backseat.

"They did a blood test to check your levels and much to everyone's surprise they were zero. What have you been doing with the medication?"

Laney crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Flushing it down the toilet."

"Why, why would you do that? I know your leg has to be bothering you. The MRI report said that you have severe swelling."

"I didn't need them. It's not that bad."

"Don't lie to me Laney."

"I don't want to take them."

"Why not?" asked Sam, softly.

"I know a lot has happened lately, but are you guys forgetting my little problem with the Adderall?"

Dean opened his mouth to say something, but clamped it shut.

"You're afraid of getting addicted to them," stated Sam.

"Yeah and that's not something else we needed to add to the plate," said Laney. She was lying. She wasn't worried about that all. She was only interested in having control.

"But that's not a reason not to take the medication for the swelling," said Dean.

"I just...I just don't want to take anything," Laney said softly.

"Well you need to start taking at least the medication to bring the swelling down or you're going to set yourself back in the progress you've made and I know you don't want that," said Dean.

"Fine, I'll take them," she said simply, sinking down in her seat.

Dean felt the steam go out of him. She wasn't putting up much of a fight.

"You should have come to us if you were worried," said Sam, leaning forward into the space between his siblings.

 _Yeah right_ , thought Laney, because they'd been so approachable lately.

"Sorry," she said with a sigh.

Sam reached over and tousled her hair.

"That's not all," said Dean.

"I can't wait to hear this," said Laney, sarcastically.

Dean ignored her tone. "Debra says you've been resistant to the occupational therapy. You don't want to participate and that you act like it's beneath you," said Dean. He glanced sideways at his sister to see her expression. She looked pissed and sad, all at the same time. "So, tell me about it," he added.

"They're these stupid problem solving puzzles! A kindergartner could do them! It's insulting to my intelligence," exclaimed Laney.

"Well if they're so simple why don't you just do them?" asked Sam, softly.

"I'm not stupid Sam."

"Nobody is saying you're stupid," said Dean. "They're only trying to help you."

"Help me what? Are they going to help me get my computer rebuilt? No, they want me to play retarded matching games and word puzzles."

"Laney, they're trying to teach you new ways to learn information to compensate for – "

"For what Sam? The brain damage I have? Nothing they teach me is going to get back what I lost," said Laney, a tear falling from her eyes. She angrily wiped at it, annoyed at sounding so weak.

"You're not even trying," said Dean, sternly, ignoring her tears.

"You didn't even ask me to recreate the demon hunting program. You asked some guy you barely know, who lives in a roadhouse, for crying out loud," Laney said softly.

Dean and Sam both exchanged a look in the rearview mirror. And Dean didn't know what was worse, that they hadn't asked her, or that it hadn't even occurred to him.

"We didn't ask Ash because we didn't think you could do it," said Sam. "It's just you have a lot your dealing with right now. You're recovery is the priority."

"Nice try, Sammy. But I'm not buying it," she said. "You two just don't think I can do it anymore."

"That's not true Laney," said Dean.

"Whatever," she said with a sniffle. "I don't want to talk about it anymore."

Dean glanced back at this brother and shook his head. It didn't look like they were going to get around to talking about their father. And Dean couldn't help it, but he didn't feel the least bit sorry.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

When the Winchester siblings got home Laney went straight to her room without saying a word. She stopped in the bathroom to take her anti-inflammatory medications, albeit reluctantly. Not because Dean told her too, but because she really didn't want to mess with her progress. If the swelling was as bad as they said and was going to hold her back, then she would do whatever it took to keep that from happening. She needed to be done. Better. She needed to move on and become the hunter she felt she was born to be.

She tinkered with her computer for awhile, but got nowhere, still angry about the whole confrontation on the car ride home. She pulled out the laptop that Dean had bought her their first week back to use while she built her own. She checked her e-mail, but there wasn't much of anything worth answering. Still no word from Gavin and she was beginning not to care. All of the hunters who used to contact her for research or computer help must have heard through the grapevine about the accident, because those requests for help had trickled down to almost nothing. Probably a good thing since she figured she wouldn't be much help, broken brain and all.

She was immersed in a simple game of solitaire when there was a soft knock on her door. With a sigh she shut the laptop.

"Come in."

"Hey, got a minute?" asked Sam, with a soft smile.

"Sure Sammy, what's up?"

Sam sat down on the bed next to her. "Dean and I scored jobs at the carnival where we think this killer clown is operating out of."

Laney frowned. She knew where this was going. "When are you guys leaving?"

Sam cleared his throat. "As soon as Bobby gets here."

"You mean as soon as my babysitter gets here," she countered.

"Laney, come on."

"It's fine Sam. It is what it is."

"It's just that we don't know how long we'll be and you have therapy."

"I said its fine," she snapped, annoyed.

"Don't be that way Laney."

"What way Sam? Tell me, what way am I being? Do you even know?" she asked angrily.

"What is this about?" Sam huffed, getting up from the bed.

Laney pointed an accusing finger at him. "Why don't you tell me what you're doing down in the basement all day? Tell me where you run off to when I'm in therapy?"

Sam let out a frustrated sigh. "You know I'm doing research."

"Research?" scoffed Laney. "You're spending all your time looking for that yellow-eyed bastard aren't you?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I've been trying to track him down," Sam answered honestly.

"Why? Hasn't he done enough? Hasn't he taken enough?" Laney asked, eyes wide and angry.

"He has to pay for what he did to Mom and Jessica. And you know he probably had something to do with Dad's death too."

"At what cost Sam? Your life? Dean's life?"

"If we don't stop the demon, he'll keep coming until he gets us all."

"So we'll deal with it as it comes, like usual. But going after him…it's like poking the bear. It's begging for trouble!"

"No, it's stopping him before he gets us."

Laney jumped up from her bed, landing hard on her braced leg. She bit back a gasp of pain and gritted her teeth. Sam moved towards her to brace her arms to hold her up but she pushed him away. "You're going to get yourself killed!"

"This is what Dad wanted, from the very beginning, since Mom was killed. He spent his whole life going after this thing and he wasn't going to rest until he killed it." Sam snapped.

"Why do you suddenly act like you care about what Dad wanted?" spat Laney angrily.

Sam reared back like he had just been slapped in the face. Dean, he expected that kind of remark from, but not his little sister.

"What the hell is going on up here?" asked Dean, barging into the room. He could hear his siblings yelling at each other all the way out in the garage.

"Well, look who decided to grace us with his presence," Laney bit out, sarcastically.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Dean demanded again, coming to stand in front of her.

"Not a thing, I'm just peachy," she answered, throwing her hands up in the air.

"Laney, now is not the time to act like a two-year old," snapped Dean.

"Why not? You're all treating me like one. Running off on a hunt and leaving me with a babysitter. "

"People are dying and we're doing what we can to stop it. In case you've forgotten that's what we do, we save people." said Dean.

Laney shook her head in disgust. "How could I could I forget? It's been my whole life, it's all I've ever known," she said, with a heavy sigh. "What about us?" she added, her voice breaking.

"What are you talking about?" asked Sam, softening his tone.

"I'm talking about you, me, Dean, you know, our family…what's left of it. I don't see either of you working hard to save it."

Dean took a deep breath. "I'm not following."

"Are you really that oblivious?" asked Laney

"Watch your tone with me young lady."

"Or what? What are you going to do about it?" Laney jutted her chin out in defiance.

Dean stared hard at his little sister and the look of outright challenge on her face. So many things were running through his mind, but he didn't have the time or the patience to deal with it. He shook his head in disgust, turned on his heels and walked out the door without a word.

Sam looked from the door to his sister. The look on her face was a mixture of disbelief, heartbreak – and what scared him most – defeat.

She turned to look at her brother with a watery gaze. "Just go Sam. You guys obviously don't want to be here."

He hesitated briefly but did what she said. He wanted to do something, say something to make her feel better, but he couldn't find the words.

Laney hopped to the door and slammed it shut, sinking down to the floor. The pain in her leg was bad, but the pain in her heart was worse.

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Dean replayed the confrontation with his sister over and over in his head while loading up the car, when Bobby approached him.

"You're not going to leave it like this, are you boy?"

"What are you talking about Bobby?"

"Do I look stupid?" asked Bobby. "I heard that whole brouhaha upstairs and you need to go up there and talk to her. Don't leave it like this Dean, I'm telling you, you'll regret it later."

"No disrespect Bobby, but this is a family matter."

If Bobby was offended he didn't show it. "If you don't do something and soon, you're not going to have much of a family left."

Dean stopped what he was doing to stare hard at Bobby.

"Look around you. You guys are falling apart. Do you think I've been out of town so much because I'm out sightseeing the Midwest? No, it's because being in this house is like waiting for a bomb to go off. None of you are really talking to each other and it's eating you all up inside."

"I'm doing the best that I can."

"Are you?" challenged Bobby.

"Why don't you just come out and say what's on your mind?" demanded Dean, angrily.

"You're running around here so wrapped up in your own hurt, that you are ignoring the two people in the world who need you the most. If you keep going this way, you might not be able to fix the damage your causing."

Bobby turned around and walked away without another word.

Dean took a deep breath. Bobby wasn't wrong. He glanced up at his sister's window. He wanted to go up to her room to talk to her, he really did. He didn't like leaving things as they were, but he didn't know what to say. He didn't know what was wrong. His emotions, his head, everything was so jumbled up, he could hardly think straight. No, he couldn't talk to her now. He needed to work this case. He needed to do something he knew he could get right. He knew how to hunt, could do it automatically. He didn't have to give what his sister needed. Not right now.

"Ready to go?" asked Sam, approaching the car.

Dean glanced one last time at his sister's bedroom window before he slammed the trunk shut.

"Yeah, let's hit the road."

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"What the heck were you doing up in your room last night?" asked Bobby.

Laney looked over at him with a sheepish smile. "Oh yeah, sorry about that, I was doing a little bit of spring cleaning. I hope I didn't keep you up."

"Not at all sweetheart…if you need a hand with anything let me know."

"I got it all taken care of."

She looked back out the car window to watch the passing scenery. And Bobby took that as the end of conversation for the rest of the trip.

He attempted to get her talking a couple of more times, but failed, which made the hour long trip seem much longer. But he decided bringing up her boneheaded brothers at that point would only further the silence and he really wanted her to know that he could be a sympathetic ear.

When they finally arrived at the rehab facility, Bobby had to nudge Laney awake. She had dozed off. He shook his head. She obviously hadn't gotten much sleep the night before.

Laney yawned loudly and smiled at Bobby. "You don't have to wait around," she said. "I have an extra long day today."

"Don't worry. I have a bunch of errands to run, so you just give me a call when you're ready."

"You got it," said Laney, giving him her bright smile.

She grabbed her backpack and went into the building lobby. She waited for Bobby's car to pull out of sight, before quickly walking out as fast as her crutches would take her.

She headed to the busy intersection where she hailed a cab.

"Where you headed?" asked the cab driver.

"Bus station."

Laney got settled into the cab and took several deep breaths. She was going to be in so much trouble. But really, her brothers had left her no choice.

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"Did you call Laney last night?" asked Sam.

They had driven through the night to get to the carnival and done some quick recon before crashing at the motel and now they were headed in to their first day of work, undercover, as carnies.

Dean looked at his brother from the corner of his eye and sighed. Not a conversation he wanted to have.

"No," he answered simply. "You?"

Dean got his answer in his brother's silence.

"I swear, I don't know what's going on with that kid," said Dean.

"She's having a rough time," he said. "Her doctors said it was going to be hard."

"What were you two going on about last night? I only caught bits and pieces."

Sam shrugged his shoulders. "She was upset about us going on this hunt."

"Yeah, so, that's not the first time. Come on, what else?"

"She knows I've been trying to find the demon."

Dean nodded his head in understanding. "I see. Let me guess, she feels the same way I do."

"Something like that," Sam muttered. "She's worried about losing us and I can't blame her."

"The kid's wound tight. I get it, but acting out like she's been doing lately…I just don't know how to deal with it."

"You know, I went back to talk to Laney's counselor the other day," said Sam.

Dean looked at him questioningly.

"You know, when you were watching Laney's pool therapy?"

Dean raised an eyebrow. His grip on the steering wheel tightened. "What did you talk to her about?"

"I begged her to talk to me about Laney, to try and give me an idea of what she needs."

"And?"

"I think you should spend some time with our little sister."

"What do you mean?"

"Listen, I know Laney loves me and would do anything for me and vice versa, but I also know that you two have a different bond. It's special. She looks up to you. You've really been the one and only constant in her life. She cares more about what you have to say than anyone else and I think when it comes down to it, you're the only one who can help her."

Dean shook his head. "I don't know Sammy. I don't know what to say to help her." _I can't even help myself._

"Maybe you don't have to say anything. Just be there for her. Let her know she's not going through this alone."

Dean glanced over at his brother. Sam looked so sincere in his desire to help their sister. Maybe he should take his advice.

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The bus trip itself was the easiest part. Getting from the bus station to her destination was a bit harder because it was out of the way and she was in a small town with no taxi service. She made herself look as pathetically sad as possible, which wasn't hard, considering she was young, on crutches, and with a backpack; and she hitchhiked where she needed to go. Dangerous, but so was hunting. This was part of her life, part of her future, might as well get used to it.

It didn't take long for someone to pick her up. "Where ya' headed?" asked the driver of a beat up old Chevy truck.

Laney hesitated a moment. He looked harmless enough, like the poster boy for Rednecks of America, with some rather unfortunate hair, but totally harmless.

"Place off Route 82," said Laney finally.

"Well hop on in, I'm headed that way myself."

Laney smiled and threw her crutches in truck bed before hopping in.

"Thanks, not much out here in the way of transportation," said Laney.

"Got that right," said the man. "Where exactly are you headed?"

"Uh – it's a – well – it's a bar," said Laney.

"Well hell, I know every bar here in town. What's it called?"

"Harvelle's Roadhouse," said Laney.

The young man whistled loudly, "Man, what a coincidence. That's where I'm headed."

Laney raised an eyebrow, "Oh, wow. So –uh – you hang out there much?"

"I'd say so. I live there. Well, I rent a room out back anyway."

"Oh."

"So what's your name darlin'?"

Laney felt the urge to take a shower with the way this guy was staring at her.

"What's your name?" countered Laney.

"You can call me Dr. Badass."

"Alrighty then," said Laney, hoping it wasn't far to the bar. This guy was a bit more of a character than she cared to deal with.

"You never told me your name," he said.

"Delaney."

"Nice to meet you Delaney. What are you doing out in this neck of the woods? And why Harvelle's?"

"You ask a lot of questions," said Laney, suspiciously.

"Sorry, we don't get much excitement out here," he said.

 _I'm sure._ Laney looked out the window at the wide expanse of nothingness.

"I'm hoping to see Ellen Harvelle."

"Well you're in luck," he said, as he pulled off to a dirt road.

He drove about a half mile down the road before the roadhouse came into view. It looked like it was straight out of a really bad B movie.

He pulled up into a parking spot. He hopped out of the truck and grabbed Laney's crutches and handed them to her as he helped her down from the seat.

"Thanks," she said.

"Not a problem beautiful."

Laney rolled her eyes.

"Ellen should be inside. I'm kind of on her bad side right now, so I'm going to disappear."

"Yeah, okay. Thanks for the ride."

"I'm at your service," he said with a bow, before disappearing around back.

Laney took a deep breath and walked inside. It was early in the day and the bar was empty. Classic rock played at a low volume from a jukebox in the far corner of the room. It looked like every other dive bar she'd ever seen Dean or her father hang out in.

"Can I help you?" asked a young woman. She looked not much older than Laney, blonde and thin.

"I'm looking for Ellen Harvelle," Laney answered.

The blonde gave her an appraising look. "I'm her daughter Jo, what do you need to see her for?"

Laney sighed. "Can you just tell her that Delaney Winchester is here to see her?"

"Winchester?" she asked, surprised.

"Yes."

"You're Sam and Dean's sister?"

"Guilty."

"Are they here too?"

And the way she asked it, so eagerly, clued Laney in to the fact that this girl had the hots for one of her brothers. _Great._

"No they're not. Is your Mom around?"

"I'm right here. What can I help you with honey?"

Laney turned around to come face to face with a middle aged dark haired woman carrying a case of beer.

"I'm Delaney Winchester and I have some questions for you."

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"So, do your brothers' know you're here honey?" asked Ellen.

She and Laney were sitting at a table in the far corner of the bar. Jo had been given busy work and seemed none too happy about it. She hadn't let an opportunity to eavesdrop slip.

"No," said Laney, simply. "They're busy."

Ellen raised an eyebrow. "I'm sure they're not so busy they wouldn't want to know that you came all the way out here."

"I'm sure that's true. But please don't tell them. I'll be back home before they even know I was gone."

"They still working that killer clown case?"

"Yeah, they're working undercover at some carnival, not far from here, actually."

Ellen nodded. She studied the beautiful young woman sitting across from her. She was very obviously a Winchester, the resemblance, especially to John Winchester couldn't be missed, and she had Dean's smile. Dean and Sam hadn't spoken too much about her, other than giving her a brief rundown of the injuries she'd sustained in the accident and her recovery. She knew she was smart – genius smart – and that the Winchester boys adored her. And she'd heard her name in the bar more than a few times as a good contact when it came to getting hands on hard to find information, but she knew little else of the girl, a testament to the protected upbringing she'd had.

"So, what can I do for you?" she asked.

Laney shook her head and sighed. "You know, now that I'm here, I don't really know," she admitted with a small laugh.

Ellen patted her hand. The poor kid looked sad and lost.

"You want to know about your Dad?" she guessed.

Laney shrugged her shoulders. "Sam told me that you knew him for years. But he never mentioned this place to us."

"He worked some cases with my husband a really long time ago. He would pass through here for information every once in awhile. He was kind of like family once."

Laney shook her head in amazement.

"What?" asked Ellen.

"It's just I can't believe that a place like this exists. Hunter central."

"Yeah, that's not exactly how it started out."

Laney nodded and stared off into the seating area of the bar, trying to imagine her father sitting there, laughing with other hunters over beer, reminiscing about old times, exchanging information, working with other people – it was hard to picture.

"You're Daddy was a good man, Delaney, and he was far from perfect, but at least he knew it."

"Well, he never let on," said Laney wryly.

"He was a proud man, but he was broken in a lot of ways. Now, I didn't know your father before your mother was killed, but I could see it in his eyes, how much it changed him – consumed him. But I know he loved you kids more than anything in the world."

"Did he ever talk about us?"

Ellen felt such a wave of sympathy for the young girl in front of her. She wasn't much younger than her daughter and so she already felt an immediate need to protect her – to mother her – but lying wouldn't help much.

"We knew he had children. But no, he didn't talk about you kids. I think he was just trying to protect you all."

Laney smacked a hand down on the table. "If he really wanted to protect us, he never would have dragged us into this life."

"Honey, I honestly believe he did the best he could in his state of mind."

"Guess I'll have to take your word for it," said Laney with a sigh.

Ellen smiled the patient smile of an experienced mother of a daughter. She felt certain though that one day Laney would understand.

"You know, I have a few pictures of your Dad with some of the guys. I can go get them out of storage if you want to see them."

Laney nodded her head. "That would be nice."

"I'll be back in a few minutes."

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Ellen walked down to the storage room below the bar and picked up the phone. She pulled out a card with a phone number on it and dialed.

 _"_ _Hello?"_

"Hi, Dean?"

 _"_ _Speaking."_

"It's Ellen Harvelle."

 _"_ _Oh, hey Ellen, nice to hear from you. What can I do for you?"_

"I think you and Sam should get over here to the Roadhouse as soon as you can."

 _"_ _Why is that?"_

"Got something here that belongs to you."

" _We're working that case you gave us the lead on. Can it wait a day or two?"_

"Um, no I don't think so."

 _"_ _Okay, what's so important?"_

"Well she's about 17 years old, pretty, has your smile, hopping around on a pair of crutches… has a lot of questions about your father."

Ellen bit her lip and questioned her decision to call when she heard Dean let out a stream of harsh curses before he spoke again.

 _"_ _Is she alright?"_

"She's perfectly fine. But I'd feel better if you came and got her before she tries to head back home."

There was a long silence before Dean finally answered. "We're _on the way."_

Ellen hung up the phone hoping she'd done the right thing.

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"I swear when I get my hands on her, that is it!" shouted Dean, smacking the wheel of the car.

"Calm down," said Sam.

"Calm down? Calm down?" asked Dean, incredulously. "God only knows how she got to the roadhouse, but by herself and unprotected? Bobby said he dropped her off this morning and watched her go in."

"If you go in there yelling at her, it's going to end badly."

"I don't care. I swear I'm going to put a tracker on her."

Sam sighed. "She asked me the other day, to take her to meet Ellen and I told her no, that I didn't think it was a good idea – that you wouldn't go for it."

"Damn right I wouldn't go for it," snapped Dean.

"She's looking for answers Dean. She's trying to deal with Dad's death and we're not helping her."

"That's what she has a shrink for."

"Really? You think it's up to the shrink to help her deal."

"I can't help her," said Dean. And there was so much pain in his voice, so much grief and sorrow laced in those words, that Sam dropped it.

"Let's just get her back home and we'll figure the rest out later," said Sam.

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"You really took off without your brothers' approval?"

Laney glanced up at Jo. "Something like that."

Jo nodded in admiration."I've met your brothers. That took guts, especially with Dean."

Laney smiled in understanding. So Jo was sweet on her oldest brother.

"I can handle Dean." _Most of the time, anyway._

"What's it like, you know having older brothers, being raised by them?"

Laney shrugged. "I'm not sure I know how to answer that. I don't know anything else, so I can't compare."

Jo nodded.

"What about you? What's it like growing up in a roadhouse around hunters?" asked Laney.

"It's been interesting. It wasn't always like this. Before my Dad died, I didn't know a thing about hunting."

"I'm sorry about your Dad."

"I was just a kid."

"Still."

"I'm sorry about yours," said Jo.

Laney gave her a half-smile. "Did you ever meet my Dad?"

"No, but I heard lots about him. I guess he was some kind of famous hunter."

"More like infamous," snorted Laney. "He was definitely dedicated to his work."

"I guess it was pretty tough then."

Laney thought about it for a moment. She wouldn't say it had been tough. Her relationship with her father was difficult. But their lives were what they were.

"I have Dean and Sam. They did everything they could to keep life as normal as possible, under the circumstances anyway."

"They seem pretty awesome."

"They are," said Laney, again with a knowing smile. "So, do you hunt?"

"Me? Uh –no," Jo answered with a laugh. "My Mom would never go for it."

"Do you want to?"

"Yeah, most of the time I do. I mean with all that I hear in this bar and all that I know it seems like it's the most logical thing to do."

"I understand that completely," said Laney.

"Do you hunt?"asked Jo

"Sort of," answered Laney. "I mostly did tech support, research, stuff like that. But I'm going to be doing more of the front lines stuff."

"I'm surprised."

"Why is that?" asked Laney.

"It's just – you know – I heard you had a full scholarship to MIT."

"It didn't work out," Laney stated flatly.

"What happened?"

 _Oh, I've suddenly developed some freaky psychic- demon – ghost whispering –abilities._

"It's somebody else's life," Laney answered simply.

Before Jo could ask what she meant her Mom returned from the cellar and cast her a scolding glance.

Jo jumped up from her chair. "Gotta get back to work."

"Okay."

Ellen sat down in the vacated chair. "I found those pictures. Sorry it took me a while. I thought I knew exactly where they were."

Laney smiled brightly. "No problem."

Ellen did her best to return the smile. She was feeling a little low for betraying Laney's trust, but her motherly instincts told her she was doing the right thing. She only hoped her instinct hadn't steered her wrong.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Laney was deep in thought, scouring piles of newspaper clippings that Ellen had gathered from other hunters, looking for possible cases, when she was startled by the bar door flying open and the all too familiar sound of stomping boots.

"Oh holy hell," muttered Laney, without even turning around.

Ellen had sold her out.

She stood up quickly and walked around the table, holding on to the edge for support, and waited for Dean to approach her. She glanced at Ellen and Jo who were standing at the bar. Ellen looked guilty and Jo – well Jo's entire face brightened at the sight of her big brother, which made Laney almost feel sorry the girl. Dean was hardly commitment material.

Dean stopped in front of her. Sam stood just behind him, his expression neutral and controlled, unlike Dean who radiated barely restrained anger, and worse, disappointment.

Laney lifted her chin up. _Go ahead, let me have it._

She yelped in surprise when he suddenly pulled her into his arms and squeezed tightly. Her arms came up around him uncertainly.

"We'll talk about this when we get home," he whispered in her ear.

Laney nodded stiffly. He let her go and she found herself embraced by Sam. She missed the look of sheer relief that passed between her brothers. They were happy to see her in one piece and unharmed. The ass kicking could wait until later.

Ellen came out from behind the protection of the bar. "Boys," she said in greeting. "Can I get you a drink?"

Dean nodded, "Yeah, beer would be nice."

Sam shook his head. "I'm good."

They took a seat at the bar, Laney hopped back to her table, taking a seat and giving Dean some space to deal with his anger. An uncomfortable silence settled over the room.

"So how's your case coming along?" Ellen asked.

Jo took a seat on the other side of Dean. Laney felt a twinge of jealousy. She wished she felt comfortable being that close to her brother. But it had been a while.

"Tracked down the bastard last night trying to kill a couple. Kid let him in. I shot it and it disappeared into thin air…Still don't know what the hell it was."

Laney canted her head to the side in thought, when a light bulb went off.

"Rakshasha."

Dean turned around to look at his sister. "Rak – what?"

"Rakshasha …they uh – they can make themselves invisible and they can't enter a home without being invited," said Laney.

"That would explain the whole clown get up," said Sam.

"You sure about that Laney?" asked Dean.

"Yeah – no – uh – I'm pretty sure," stuttered Laney, feeling unsure of herself, which was an entirely new feeling for her. When it came to research or naming the big bad uglies she had never doubted her abilities. _Yeah, well things have changed._

"So how do we kill it?" asked Sam.

"Pure brass blade," said Laney, only it came out more like a question than a statement.

Dean raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't be hard to find."

"Uh – maybe – you should double check that though, you know, just to be sure," said Laney.

Dean walked over to the table and sat down across from her. "Well, break out the laptop, let's see what we have."

"I didn't bring it."

Sam and Dean exchanged surprised looks.

"You didn't bring your laptop with you?" asked Dean, unable to keep the surprise from his voice.

"Haven't you noticed that I haven't had my laptop with me in weeks?"

Dean frowned. He hadn't noticed.

Ellen cleared her throat. "Jo, go get Ash. We could use a hand here."

"Sure," said Jo, hopping off her stool and smiling as she passed Dean.

"I finally get to meet the illustrious Ash," muttered Laney.

Sam took a seat next to his sister and squeezed her arm. He knew how much it stung that Ash was working on the demon hunting program for them.

"My services have been requested?"

"Hey Ash," said Sam.

Laney did a double take. "Ash? _You're_ Ash?"

"You two met?" asked Dean, suspiciously, rising from his seat.

Laney felt the overprotective brother meter go on high alert and for once, it made her warm and fuzzy inside.

"He gave me a ride from the bus station," said Laney.

"You gave my sister a ride?" asked Sam, standing up.

"Your sister?" asked Ash.

"Yeah, our sister," said Dean.

Ash took a step backward. He knew enough to know not to mess with the Winchester brothers. But damn, it wasn't his fault they had such a good looking sister. And hell, she was hitchhiking for a ride; it wasn't like he was soliciting her services or something.

"Guys, it's okay," insisted Laney. "It was fine."

Dean shook his head incredulously. "It's bad enough you hitchhiked, but taking a ride from a guy that looks like this one…that's just reckless."

Laney shrugged a shoulder. "Not too many options available to me."

"You mean other than the option to do what you're told and go to therapy like you were supposed to?" snapped Dean.

Sam took a step in front of his brother and gave him a look that Laney could only interpret as – 'don't talk family business in front of strangers'.

Dean backed down.

Ash whistled. "So this is the famous Laney Winchester, computer genius extraordinaire."

Laney shot him a dirty look. If he didn't shut up soon, she was going to let her brothers have a go at him.

"Okay, so anyway, what can I do you for?" asked Ash, quickly changing the subject.

Dean sat down hard in the chair next to Ash. "We need some information on rakshashas. Exactly what they are and more importantly, how to kill them."

"Shoot, I thought you had something hard for me," scoffed Ash.

"Dude, we don't have all day," said Dean.

Ash put up his hands apologetically. "Let's see, well some kind of Hindu demon or unrighteous spirit, feeds off human flesh, can't enter a home unless invited, and can only be killed with a pure brass blade."

Sam smiled brightly at Laney. "You were right."

"Don't sound so surprised," said Laney, sarcastically.

Sam's smile turned to a frown. "I'm not surprised," he said defensively.

"Whatever," Laney huffed.

Dean narrowed his eyes at his sister.

"Can I get you another drink?" Jo asked Dean.

Dean turned to Jo and flashed his most charming smile. "What did you have in mind?"

"Get a room," muttered Laney.

Dean lightly tapped her on the back of the head. "Behave."

Laney turned to glare at her brother, before settling down next to Ash.

"My brothers told me you put together a demon hunting program," said Laney.

Sam tensed up and Dean who was still putting the moves on Jo sensed it. He stopped talking long enough to pay attention to his sister's conversation.

"Sure did."

"Can I see it?" asked Laney.

"Checking my work?" asked Ash with a sly smile.

"Something like that."

He smiled and opened up the program. "Take a look."

Laney studied it for a few minutes. "Not bad."

Ash smiled in agreement. "Duh."

"You know, if you changed this set of variables here," said Laney, pointing at the screen, "It should bump up the response time."

Ash studied it for a moment, before shaking his head. "But if I did that, I'd lose this entire data set."

Laney pulled the laptop closer and studied the screen intently.

Dean and Sam both studied her closely.

Her mouth set in a hard line.

"Yeah, you're right," she said, after a long minute. And really, it was a mistake a rookie computer programmer would make. Something she had known when she was ten years old.

Sam frowned at the sorrow in her voice and the grief that briefly flashed across her face. The poor kid was losing confidence by the second.

Dean took a long drink from the whiskey Jo had brought him.

"You went to MIT?" asked Ash, confused.

Dean stood up abruptly. "You know, we've really got to hit the road."

Laney was staring off into space, with a look her brothers couldn't interpret.

"Laney?" asked Dean, snapping his fingers above her.

"Huh? Yeah?" she said, looking up.

"It's time to go."

"Where are we going?"

"Taking you back to Bobby's."

"What about your case?"

"We'll get you home and get back."

"Dean, that's six hours round trip. It's going to be dark soon. This killer clown demon is probably going to hit again tonight."

"You're not coming with us on this hunt."

"I didn't say I should. I'd just be dragging you down anyway."

Sam looked at his sister with even more concern. Since when did she ever drag them down? He shook his head. They were going to have to have a serious talk soon.

"What are you suggesting?" asked Dean.

"Let me stay here until you're done."

"We don't know how long that's going to take," said Sam.

"I'm sure you guys will have this case closed in a few hours."

Dean nodded his head. "I'm not going to leave you in a bar for God knows how long. No offense Ellen."

"None taken," said Ellen. "But you boys know she'd be safe here."

"I don't want her hanging around the roadhouse with all these hunters around," said Dean. Too many questions surrounding their accident and father's death, and with his siblings "gifts", it just wasn't a good idea.

"It's not a problem," said Ellen, "It's Jo's night off. They can hang out at the house. They won't come into the bar at all."

"I don't know," said Dean. He looked over at Sam. Sam motioned with his head. Dean walked over to him and they conferred quietly.

"If it's going to take longer than tonight, we can ask Bobby to come get her," said Sam.

"I don't like it."

"She's right – the time it will take to get her home and come back – someone else could die," said Sam.

Dean sighed in frustration. "Fine, okay."

He turned around and walked over to his sister. "I have a feeling I'm going to regret this."

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"You like Dean don't you?"

Jo glanced up at Laney with an expression much like the cat that had caught the canary. The two young women were hanging out in Jo's room. Jo had convinced Laney to let her give her a manicure and a pedicure, despite Laney's insistence that hunter's don't give a rat's ass about pretty fingers or toes.

"It's okay," said Laney. "Women are kind of drawn to him."

Jo smiled. "He's definitely charming."

"So he thinks," smirked Laney. "But if I were you, I'd steer clear."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, he's more of the love them and leave them type, if you know what I mean. It's the hunting life you know. We're never in one place long…usually anyway."

Jo frowned. It wasn't like she hadn't guessed as much, but still, the confirmation stung. She really liked the guy.

"I'm telling you this, because I like you, and I don't want to see you get hurt," said Laney.

"I appreciate it. But I'm a big girl."

Laney shrugged a shoulder. Well, she couldn't say she hadn't been warned.

"What about you?" asked Jo

"What about me?"

"Any guys out there you might like?"

Laney laughed and Jo didn't miss the bitterness in it.

"I'm only 17. My brothers' don't let guys come within a hundred feet of me."

"Oh come on, that doesn't mean you can't have crushes. Anyone out there?" Jo prodded.

Laney tried really hard to stop herself, but she couldn't help it. She smiled. "Well…there is someone."

"Tell me," said Jo, with the clap of her hands.

"He's older than me. Like 4 years older."

Jo shrugged her shoulders. "Please, that's a drop in a bucket."

Laney smiled. "True."

"So who is he?"

"He's a hunter, sort of. I mean, he's like a martial arts expert and really handy with computers. He doesn't hunt often. But he knows the life."

"What's his name? I might know him."

"Gavin."

"Cole? Gavin Cole?" asked Jo.

"You know him," said Laney, sitting up straighter.

"Uh –yeah – he came to the roadhouse a lot. Especially in the last year or so," said Jo. "He's hot."

Laney blushed.

"Not my type at all," added Jo, quickly.

Laney blushed even more.

"Does he know? That you are crushing on him?"

"I'm not sure. I mean, we've been friends for a couple of years, helped each other out with computer related stuff, but you know, since he's older…" Laney's voice trailed off. "But you know he did come see me in the hospital."

"Hmmm," said Jo, "I think that means he has feelings for you."

"You think?" asked Laney, hopefully.

"Oh yeah."

Laney smiled.

Jo put the cap back on the polish bottle and smiled at her handiwork. "All finished."

"Looks great," said Laney. "Thanks." She had never really wondered what having a sister might be like. But it seemed like it might have its moments.

"No problem…So, what are you going to do about the whole Gavin thing?"

"Wait until I'm 18? I don't know. He and Dean don't really get along. And besides, he took off while I was in the hospital and I haven't seen or heard from him since."

Jo's brow furrowed. "When was that? The last time you saw him?"

"Almost two months ago, I guess."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"He was just at the Roadhouse a couple of weeks ago," said Jo.

"No way," said Laney breathlessly. "Was he okay? What was he doing?"

"I heard he was asking around, looking for hunts, specifically anything out of the country."

Laney shook her head. "That's weird."

"I didn't think anything of it until now," said Jo.

"Do you know if he got any leads?"

"I don't know," said Jo, standing up from the bed. She looked around thoughtfully. "But I could find out."

Laney smiled hopefully. "How are you going to do that?"

"We have a few regulars down at the bar. Older guys, kind of retired hunters – they are like the eyes and ears around there. If Gavin picked up a case, I bet they know where and what."

"I'm not supposed to go back to the bar," said Laney. She had already pushed her thin luck by ditching therapy and coming out Ellen's without her brothers' permission. She figured it might be time to behave.

"You don't have to," said Jo. "I can be in and out in ten minutes. Just sit tight, I'll be right back."

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"Did you see Laney's face when Ash called her out on the mistake she made with the computer program?"

Dean gritted his teeth. "I saw it."

"Dude, I don't know how many more blows her confidence can take before she just gives up," said Sam.

"She's a little rusty," said Dean, "That's all. And she's distracted too."

"You're not worried?" asked Sam.

"About what?"

"She's seems so unsure of herself, like when she was telling us about the rakshasha. A few months ago, she never would have hesitated. She would have been offended if we even thought to question what she said. Now, she…I don't know…it's sad to see."

"Yeah, well I'm more concerned with her defiance. This petulant teenager act is getting really old. I mean running out on therapy and hitching to Ellen's? The talking back and the attitude? That worries me. She's going to do something really stupid and we won't be there to back her up."

"Maybe if we stop trying to keep her out of the loop, you know, let her be more involved."

"Maybe I'll think about that when she starts showing some maturity. Going off like that, without protection. Sam, it's unacceptable."

"She wasn't completely unprotected."

"What are you talking about?"

Sam turned in his seat to look at Dean. "Before we left I took a peek in her backpack."

"And?"

"And she had a mini-arsenal in there. Rock salt, silver blade, holy water, iron…the whole nine yards."

Dean cocked an eyebrow. "Huh. Yeah well, still, she's on crutches and not exactly able to go hand to hand."

"I'm just saying we should give her the benefit of the doubt Dean. We owe her that much."

Dean cast brother an irritated look and returned his attention the road. "We'll see."

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"You weren't lying," said Laney, impressed when Jo returned less than fifteen minutes later.

"I grew up in that bar," said Jo, with a shrug of her shoulders. "I know how to deal with those guys."

"Did you find out anything?" asked Laney, impatiently.

"I did. The guys seem to think he took a case down in Mexico…some malevolent spirit hunting an old hotel."

"Where in Mexico?"

"Really small town called Guadalupe Victoria, not far over the California border."

Laney nodded thoughtfully.

"You think you might be able to track him down?" asked Jo

"I don't know," said Laney, distractedly. "He's good at covering his tracks. It's just good to know he's okay."

"What are you going to do?"

Laney shrugged. "Not much I can do."

"I'm sure if it's a small town, it can't be hard to find an old hotel. Maybe a little computer research… some phone calls?" suggested Jo.

"I don't know," said Laney, uncertainly. "If he wanted to talk to me, I think he would have answered my e-mails, you know?"

"Maybe Dean scared him off?"

Laney frowned. She really didn't think Dean would do such a thing, but then again, Dean had been doing a lot of things lately that she didn't expect.

"I guess that's not a complete improbability," conceded Laney.

"Want to use my computer?"

Laney bit her lip and thought about it for a moment. It couldn't hurt. And she wasn't so brain damaged that she couldn't do a simple Google search. It was completely uncomplicated.

"Sure, okay," said Laney, finally.

Laney took a seat at the desk. She noticed the small framed photo of Jo and Ellen. She smiled wistfully at the mother-daughter portrait and felt an unexpected pang. Lately, the smallest things seemed to make her miss the mother she'd never even known. She hoped wherever her father was, that he was finally with his beloved wife and hopefully he was at peace.

"You okay?" asked Jo, when she noticed Laney's pained expression.

Laney's head snapped up. "Yeah, I'm good. Let's do this."

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It took a bit longer than Laney expected to find what they were looking for and narrow down the list of possible hotels. It turned out that although Guadalupe Victoria was a small town – it was a small town full of historic hotels. And then there was the language barrier. She finally got a hold of an American expatriate who was running a bed and breakfast in town.

"I'm looking for my older brother. All I know is that he's in town, but I have no idea what hotel he's staying in, if he's even staying in one. But we've – uh – got a family emergency and I really need to find him."

 _"_ _Okay. But I'm not sure if I can be of any assistance."_

"This is going to sound strange, but he's uh- he's into the paranormal, you know – ghost hunting and I think he was looking into some stories about a haunted hotel or something."

 _"_ _Hmm, I think I know where he might be looking. We get a lot of those types out here. There's a hotel called Casa Morro. It's a real hot spot for that type of stuff."_

"Casa Morro. Okay, great thanks so much for your help." He rattled off the phone number.

Laney wrote down the number and hung up the phone.

Jo smiled expectantly. "Is that where he might be? Are you going to call?"

"I don't know. Now that I have a good lead – I don't even know what I would say," said Laney. "It's kind of stalker- ish don't you think?"

"Nah," said Jo, "You're just worried about him. I mean, he left without a word. You just want to see if he's okay."

Laney briefly weighed the pros and cons before taking a deep breath and grabbing the phone to dial. "Here goes nothing."

 _"_ _Buenos Dias," said the operator._

"Si – uh- habla ingles?" asked Laney. She knew basic Spanish, but not much more.

 _"_ _Yes, how can I help you?"_

Laney sighed in relief. The operator had a very heavy accent, but she understood.

"I'm looking for a Gavin Cole?"

 _"_ _Yes, miss, one moment, I will connect you."_

Laney nearly dropped the phone in surprise. She hadn't at all expected Gavin to be using his real name and now the call was being connected, she almost hung up.

 _"_ _Hello?"_

Laney froze for a moment. "Gavin?" she squeaked out.

 _"_ _Yes. Who is this?"_

"It's – uh- it's Laney Winchester."

 _"_ _Laney?" said the incredulous voice, "How the hell did you find me here?"_

"I – uh- it's a long story. I just wanted to make sure you were okay, since I haven't heard from you in a couple of months. I was kind of worried."

 _"_ _Laney you can't call me."_

"I don't understand."

 _"_ _If I wanted to talk to you, I would have e-mailed you or called you."_

"Gavin, why? What did I do?"

 _"_ _I don't have time for this Laney. You're a kid. Just leave me alone."_ The phone abruptly disconnected on his end.

Laney threw the phone down on the bed in utter disbelief.

Jo looked at her expectantly. Whatever Gavin had said to her, he had not been kind. "What happened?" she whispered.

"He doesn't want to talk to me. Told me to leave him alone." Laney looked up at her with sad, watery eyes.

"I'm sorry," said Jo. And she really was. It had been her stupid idea to track him down. Now she might have to explain it to Dean and he wasn't going to like it.

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Dean and Sam arrived at Ellen's place sometime after midnight to pick up their sister. Armed with the information Laney had given them, they'd found the rakshasha, and although they'd been surprised by who it turned out to be, and it had been a little bit of close call, they'd taken care of it, and headed straight back to the Roadhouse.

"She fell asleep a while ago," whispered Ellen.

Laney was asleep on the couch, scrunched up as small as she could make herself, with the brace on her leg.

"I hope she wasn't too much of a pain in the ass," said Dean.

"She and Jo hung out. She's a good kid."

Dean smiled fondly. "Yeah, I know."

Sam walked over to the couch. He reached out and shook her shoulders gently.

"Laney?" he whispered, "Time to go."

Laney opened one eye to look up. "Sammy?"

"Yeah baby, time to go."

He helped her sit up and couldn't help but notice that her eyes seemed swollen, red and glassy, like she'd been crying. He frowned.

"You okay?" he asked softly.

"I'm fine," she said, waving his hand away. She stopped abruptly when she noticed his bandaged hand. "What happened to your hand?"

"Steam burn. It's okay," he answered with a dismissive wave.

"You close the case?"

"Yup."

Laney nodded in approval and looked up with tired eyes to see Dean in the foyer talking to Ellen. "Let's go," she said.

Sam handed her the crutches and grabbed her backpack.

"Tell Jo I said thanks," said Laney.

After the unfortunate call with Gavin, Jo sat with Laney until she'd cried herself to sleep, and then went back to the bar to help out, sensing that Laney needed and wanted her space.

"Of course honey," said Ellen, with an affectionate pat on her face.

The front door opened and Jo walked in. She smiled. "I'm glad I caught you before you left."

"I had fun, thank you," said Laney, trying and failing to return the smile.

"Of course," said Jo. She exchanged a look with Dean and motioned for him to come outside.

"Dean, can you help me bring in something from my truck?" she asked.

"Sure."

He looked at Sam and shrugged his shoulders before he followed Jo out into the warm night.

"What's up Jo?"

"Listen, I should tell you something, but you're not going to like it."

Dean sighed in resignation. "What did she do?"

Jo shook her head. "It's not her fault."

"What happened?"

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Dean glanced in the rearview mirror frequently, until he was sure his sister had fallen fast asleep. Then he looked over at Sam.

"You'll never believe what those two were up to while we were out?"

Sam raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"They tracked down Gavin."

Sam sat up straighter in his seat and glanced back at his sleeping sister.

"No way."

"Way – and when I get my hands on that douche bag I'm going to show him a little martial arts of my own – Winchester style."

"What happened?"

"Short story is that she found him, called him, and he told her not to call him again, that she was just a kid, and to leave him alone."

Sam shook his head in disbelief. That explained why his sister looked like she'd been crying. Poor thing, how many more hits could she take.

"I don't understand," said Sam, "That doesn't make any sense."

"Why not?"

"Come on Dean. I know you're not crazy about the guy, but it was obvious he cares about Laney."

"Well if he did, he's got a funny way of showing it."

"There's something fishy about the whole deal," insisted Sam.

"I don't care what it is, but he'd better not come anywhere near her again."

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Despite getting back to Bobby's in the wee hours of the morning, Dean took a short cat nap and got right to work on the Impala. Sam gave him an annoyed look when he came out that morning, coffee in hand and waiting for his sister. Laney had gotten an unexpectedly late start and was still getting ready. They were probably going to be late for her therapy.

"How's the car coming?" asked Sam.

"Good," said Dean. "Waiting for a few parts before I can get this engine running again. But the body work is almost done."

"I'm impressed. You'd never guess what it looked like before." And as far as he was concerned, that was a good thing.

"Boys," said Bobby, stepping out in the garage.

"Morning," said Sam.

"If you're here to apologize about Laney, don't," said Dean. "She's got some issues and -"

"I'm not here to apologize," snapped Bobby.

"Okay," said Dean, slowly.

"I think there's something you two should see," he said as he turned around and walked away.

Dean wiped his hands on his jeans and shrugged his shoulders at Sam's questioning look.

They followed Bobby around to the back of the house, near a stack of junk parts.

"Look what I found this morning," said Bobby, pointing to some boxes.

"Gold? A million dollars? Jimmy Hoffa? What?" smirked Dean.

"Look inside smart ass."

Dean and Sam stepped closer to the boxes and flipped the lid open. Sam audibly gasped. Inside was all of Laney's computer equipment. Every last piece that had been in her room was in the box. The old pieces, rescued from the crash, and the new pieces that he and Dean had bought her a few weeks earlier.

"What the hell!" exclaimed Dean. Those parts had not been cheap.

They heard the approaching footsteps behind them and turned to see Laney looking at them with a shocked and guilty expression.

Dean stalked up to her. "You want to explain this?"


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thank you for all the reads and reviews!**

Chapter 5

Laney froze for several long seconds; like a deer in headlights.

"Laney, I asked you a question," demanded Dean.

Sam walked up stand between his siblings, worried about the consequences of a confrontation. He had to be the buffer. He was just as curious as to what was going on, but Dean's hot head didn't get him near as far as a little patience and understanding might.

"I – uh – you – no one was supposed to know about that," she stuttered, an expression of deep regret flashing on her face.

"That you threw away all of your computer equipment? Did you really think we wouldn't find out eventually?" asked Dean, incredulously. He pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"No, I didn't," she said a tad angrily. "It's not like you notice much of what's going on around here anyway."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that you have your head buried underneath the hood of that goddamn car 24/7 and you don't have any freaking idea of what's going on around here!" shouted Laney.

"Laney, calm down," urged Sam, putting a hand on her arm to steady her. He could see she was vibrating with anger.

Bobby, who had been standing back, walked forward to stand on the other side of Laney, in case things got ugly. Dean would never intentionally hurt his baby sister. But he often spoke without thinking and a lot of damage could be done.

"I'm tired of being calm," she spat with a shake of her head.

Dean stood stock still and silent, but his jaw was clenched tightly; the vein in his forehead throbbed, and his nostrils flared, which spoke volumes about how angry he really was.

Laney's eyes bore into her brother expectantly, waiting for his wrath, wanting it, needing it.

She was disappointed yet again.

Dean walked up to her, close enough that the tips of his boots were nearly touching her own shoes. Sam took a step closer.

"You know what? I don't care what you do," he said, before he spun on his heels and walked away.

Laney's breath hitched when he disappeared around the corner, Bobby hot on his heels.

Sam put his arms around her, but she shrugged them off. "I'm going to be late," she said, her voice quivering.

Sam sighed heavily. Laney was hurting badly and she was crying out for help to the only person in the world that could really make it better for her. And Sam was powerless to fix it.

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"What the hell is wrong with you boy?" shouted Bobby angrily.

"Bobby I swear, if you don't leave me alone, I'm going to start throwing punches."

"If it will make you feel better, go ahead. But what you are doing to that girl is wrong. Can't you see what's happening? She's testing you every which way, just to get a rise out of you, and she's getting nothing."

Dean picked up a wrench and started tinkering with the engine of his car, totally ignoring Bobby.

Bobby shook his head and let out a stream of curses. "I know you're hurting son, I know that you miss your Daddy and you're tore up about what happened to him, but so are Sam and Laney. Sam is a grown man and he can deal on his own pretty well, but your sister, she's a kid and she's been through some serious trauma, and she needs you."

Dean continued to work on his car, never turning his attention towards Bobby.

"Your Daddy would be ashamed of you," spat Bobby, before turning around and getting into his car to leave.

Dean threw down the wrench and kicked one of the wheel rims on the Impala. "Screw you!" he yelled, even though Bobby was halfway down the driveway.

"Screw you," he whispered again. The worst part of it all was that Bobby was absolutely right.

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"You okay?" Sam looked over at his sister, slouched in her seat, her chin resting in her hand, leaning against the window.

She didn't glance his way, but he didn't miss the tear she wiped away from her face.

"I'm fine," she said quietly.

"I'm sorry," said Sam.

This time Laney looked over at him. "For what?"

"You're right. I _have_ been obsessed with finding yellow-eyes and I haven't been there for you like I should have. I'm sorry for that."

Laney sighed and looked away. She really didn't know how to respond to that.

Sam smiled tightly, understanding his sister's apprehension. It was deserved. "I'm here now," he said, reaching over to grab her hand, "And I'm not going anywhere. If you need to talk, I'll listen."

Laney gave him a small smile and nodded, squeezing his hand. "I don't really feel like talking right now."

"Whenever you're ready," said Sam.

Laney squeezed his hand again and her heart felt just a tad bit lighter.

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"We missed you yesterday."

"Sorry, I was feeling a little under the weather."

"You do look a little pale. Sure you're up for today?"

"I'm good. Let's get to it," said Laney.

"Alright then," said Paul. Paul was her physical therapist. He'd been with her from the beginning, working with her one on one to get the strength back in her legs. Laney liked him a lot. He was funny but tough and he didn't let her give up easily, which on some days, she really wanted to do.

"No brace today," he said.

Laney looked up at him in surprise. He said it so casually, she wasn't sure she heard him right. "Really? No brace?"

"Yup, it's time to start working that leg out. But we're going to take it easy…start off slow," he said. "No pushing it. We don't want to reinjure the leg."

Laney shook her head in vigorous agreement. "You got it."

She sat down on a hard bench to allow Paul to remove her brace. He set it to the side before grabbing her waist to help her stand and leading her over to a set of bars lining a walkway.

"Okay, very little pressure on your right leg for now, okay. Let the left do most of the work."

Laney nodded and took a deep breath. This was her first attempt at walking without her brace; the first time she was going to put any true pressure on the leg. She hesitated and looked straight ahead, her eyes widening in surprise when she saw Sam sitting in one of the chairs at the other side of the room. He looked at her with a hesitant expression, unsure his sister really wanted him there.

Bu Laney was thrilled. It was the first time he'd ever watched her therapy. It made her feel simultaneously self-conscious and happy.

She smiled brightly at him. He returned the smile and nodded his head in a gesture of support.

Laney took another deep breath and moved forward. But it was more of a hop than anything. She was scared.

"Don't be afraid to but a bit of pressure on it," said Paul.

"Okay," said Laney. She moved another step forward, this time placing more pressure on her foot, and yelping in unexpected pain. "Ouch!"

She noticed Sam get up from his seat. But she put her hand up to let him know it was okay. He sat back down.

"It's going to sting a bit," said Paul, sympathetically. "But it will get better."

Laney smiled tightly and responded through gritted teeth. "So they say."

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"How are you feeling?" asked Sam, on the drive back home.

"Freaking exhausted," admitted Laney.

"You did great. You'll be walking in no time," he said.

"I barely lasted five minutes," she said grumpily.

"Yeah, but today it's five minutes, tomorrow it's ten and so on, and pretty soon, you'll be on your own."

Laney shrugged her shoulders. "I guess. Just wish it was going a little quicker."

"I know it's a pain being on crutches, but it's temporary."

"It's not that," said Laney, with a world weary sigh.

"Then what is it?"

"I want to start really training, you know – for hunting."

"Ah, I see," said Sam. "You know there's no time table right?"

Laney scoffed. "Yeah right, how long do you think Dean is going to want to sit around waiting for me to get better? He's practically done with the Impala."

"He'll wait," said Sam. "I know he's not exactly been himself. It's just Dad...he and Dad were always closest you know, before Mom died. So, he's taking this really hard."

"Aren't we all?" asked Laney. "He's not the only one who lost him, but he's acting like it."

After a long silence Laney spoke again, "I think there is more to it anyway."

"What do you mean? You having any you know, psychic visions or feelings or whatever?" asked Sam, voice laced with heavy concern.

Laney rolled her eyes. "No, you?"

"No. It's just, I know you're gift is different."

"No, Sammy, it's nothing with like that. I just know him and something is off."

Sam nodded in agreement. He felt the same way too and he didn't need any visions to tell him anything. He knew his brother better than he knew himself.

"You want to talk about why you threw away all your computer equipment?" asked Sam. Hoping his sister might open up to him.

"Most definitely not," snapped Laney.

Sam clamped his mouth shut and watched the car eat up several miles of asphalt before he spoke again.

"I think you should know that Dean knows about what happened with Gavin."

Laney's head whipped around to look at him. "What?"

"Jo told him."

Laney clenched her jaw. "She promised me she wouldn't."

"She's just worried about you," soothed Sam.

Laney shook her head. "Great, something else for Dean to be pissed about."

"He's not pissed."

"Yeah right."

"Well not at you," he amended.

Laney chewed on her bottom lip.

"You want to talk about?" asked Sam

"What's there to talk about? He told me not to ever call him again. He doesn't want anything to do with me. Sounds pretty much to the point."

"Doesn't make much sense though," said Sam. He knew without a doubt that Gavin had feelings for his sister.

Laney laughed humorlessly. "Whatever made you think anything in our lives makes sense?"

And Sam was so saddened by the bitterness in those words – and the truth in them – that he had nothing else to add.

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When they got home, Dean was where they had left him; underneath the hood of his car. Laney shook her head and sighed in resignation.

"I'm going straight upstairs to take a nap," she said through a yawn to Sam as she got out of the car.

"You should eat something," he called out. It hadn't escaped his notice that she'd skipped breakfast and had only picked at the sandwich he'd bought her for lunch on the way home.

"I'm not hungry right now. Maybe later," she said without turning around to look at him.

Sam sighed. "Alright kiddo, see you later."

Laney gave a weary nod and crutched inside and straight upstairs, which took more effort than usual as she was extra sore. She never realized how cumbersome her leg brace really was until she had spent half the day with it off. Now, it was seriously annoying.

She changed into a fresh pair of bed shorts and a tank top and stopped to peek through the curtains in her window to watch Dean work. Her window was opened to let the late afternoon breeze in and she could hear a radio that was set to a local classic rock station; every once in awhile she heard him humming along to a song. She couldn't help but notice the relaxed slope of his shoulders. He looked so much more at ease while no one was around; happiest to be working on his car with no one bothering him. She had been working through a lot of different emotions toward him lately, among them, anger, sympathy, confusion, and definitely, love, always love. That would never change. Despite everything, he was still the man that had raised her from a baby and she wanted to have his approval more than anything. She wanted him to be proud of her. And whether it was fair or not, she still expected him to make it all better.

She sat down on her bed and pulled her father's dog tags out from underneath her pillow. She'd been sleeping with them there every night since she'd taken them from Sam's bag, and luckily for her he hadn't seemed to notice they were gone. Now that she had them, she didn't want to give them back.

"Oh Dad, everything is a mess," she whispered, tears falling. "I'm scared of what's happening to us."

She placed the dog tags around her neck and clutched them tightly. She was taking a chance that Sam might find them on her, but she didn't care. She needed to feel close to him. She really missed him, more than she had ever expected and mostly she wished to see him just once last time to tell him everything she never got to say.

But all she could do was cry herself to sleep.

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Somewhere in the back of her mind Laney was aware that was happening was not just a run of the mill dream or nightmare. What was playing out in her mind gave her the same tingly sensations, the same feelings that she had when she had the dream memories of her mother's death. And because she knew what was happening was real, she was more terrified than she'd ever been in her life.

 _"_ _You rang?"_

 _John raised the Colt and pointed it directly at the yellow-eyed demon._

 _"_ _Conjuring me up? I took you for a lot of things, but suicidally reckless wasn't one of them."_

 _"_ _I could always shoot you."_

 _"_ _Well you've only got one try, don't you? Did you really think you were going to trap me?"_

 _John lowered the gun. "I don't want to trap you. I want to make a deal."_

 _Yellow-eyes smiled. "Intriguing."_

Laney, still deep in her sleep, let out a sob, and the nightmare continued.

 _"_ _It's very unseemly, making deals with devils. How do I know this is not a trick?"_

 _"_ _It's not a trick. I will give you the Colt and the bullet, but you've got to help my kids. You've got to bring them back."_

 _"_ _Why John, you're a sentimentalist. If only your kids knew how much their Daddy loved them."_

 _"_ _It's a good trade," said John. "You care a hell of a lot more about this gun than you do them."_

 _"_ _Don't be so sure. They killed some people very special to me. But still, you're right. Dean's not much of a threat anyway. Neither is your other son. You know about my plans for him don't you?"_

 _"_ _I've known for awhile."_

 _"_ _And still you play dumb."_

 _"_ _Can you bring my kids back? Yes or no?"_

 _"_ _How about yes and no?"_

 _"_ _What do you mean?"_

 _"_ _I can save your son, but your daughter, that's another story."_

 _"_ _What are you talking about?"_

 _"_ _Oh come on John, don't be an idiot, demon power doesn't work on her. We can't kill her, so what makes you think we can bring her back. Besides, it's rather convenient for me really. If she's gone, she can't get in the way. It's a win-win for me."_

 _John swallowed the lump in his throat. "You can save my boy?" he asked, his voice trembling._

 _"_ _Yes."_

 _"_ _Good. But before it's done, I'm going to want to make sure that Dean's going to be okay…with my own eyes."_

 _"_ _Oh, I'm so offended. Don't you trust me?"_

 _John glared at him._

 _"_ _Fine."_

 _"_ _So do we have a deal?"_

 _"_ _No, not yet…you still need to sweeten the pot."_

 _"_ _With what?"_

 _"_ _With something else I want as much as that gun…maybe more."_

 _"_ _What's that?"_

 _"_ _You."_

And Laney felt like all the air had been sucked out of her lungs and she jolted awake with a start, feeling the bile rising in her throat. Without a thought to her healing leg, she jumped out of bed and scrambled for the bathroom.

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The gnawing hunger that had been eating at Dean's gut most of the day could no longer be ignored, so he finally left the Impala and went inside the house to grab a bite to eat. He'd been trying to avoid having to go inside with the threat of Sam or Laney being there and wanting to talk with him. He wasn't up to any aggravation.

He walked hesitantly into the kitchen. Sam's back was to him and he looked to be cleaning up the kitchen and putting away some dishes. He walked to the refrigerator to forage for any odds and ends he could make into a meal.

Sam turned around when he heard his brother open the fridge. Dean was poking at a Styrofoam container that looked to hold some Chinese food that was well past its prime, when a large plate of food was thrust under his nose.

Dean grabbed the plate and closed the fridge.

"Thought you might be hungry," said Sam, hoping his brother would accept the peace offering.

Dean sniffed the plate of steak and potatoes and nodded appreciatively, his mouth already watering. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

Dean took a seat at the dining room table.

Sam grabbed two beers from the fridge and joined his brother at the table.

"Thanks," said Dean, again, mid bite as he grabbed the icy cold beer. "This is good."

"Glad you like it."

"Laney eat already?" asked Dean

Sam nodded no. "She's been sleeping since we got home. She had a rough day today."

Dean put his fork down on his plate. "What do you mean?"

"They took the brace off today and got her up on both legs."

Dean cocked an eyebrow. "Really? I didn't know they were going to do that so soon."

"Her physical therapist felt she was ready. She did pretty well."

"You watched?" asked Dean, unable to keep the surprise from his voice.

Sam nodded. "I thought she needed the support."

Dean picked up his fork again and began shoveling food in his mouth, thinking hard, and not really tasting the food anymore. She did need the support, he should have been there. He'd been thinking all day as he worked on the Impala, about their argument, and the what he now recognized as cruel words he'd spoken. He really wanted to know the reasons she'd thrown all her computer equipment out. He wanted to understand what was on her mind, he really did. But there was something that was holding him back. He just felt so tired, so weary, like he had nothing left in him to deal with the mystery of his sister.

Sam watched his brother patiently, wondering what was on his mind. He was about to prod him to say something when he heard the sound of a commotion coming from upstairs, the loud bang of something falling and a crash; all of it coming from Laney's room.

Dean's fork clattered onto his plate. He knocked over his beer in his haste to get up, ignoring the mess as he took off at a dead run straight for Laney's room, Sam on his heels.

"Laney?!" shouted Dean on his way up the stairs.

He threw the bedroom door open, on high alert for signs of an intruder. Her bed sheets were a tangled mess on the floor and her crutches were in a pile at the end of her bed. All this he absorbed in the split second before he heard the sound of retching coming from the adjoining bathroom.

"Laney," said Dean, more softly as he quickly walked into the bathroom. His sister was bent over the toilet at an odd angle, one leg bent behind her and the other braced leg straight out in front of her. She put up a hand just before she leaned over to heave again into the toilet.

Dean winced in sympathy and looked back at Sam who was already rifling through the bathroom cabinets for some fresh towels. Laney had apparently missed the toilet on her initial run.

Dean leaned over his sister and pulled her hair from her face, cupping her forehead for support. She leaned into it, exhausted.

"You okay?" he asked softly.

She nodded weakly. "Think so."

He helped her move as she shifted back from the toilet, grabbing her under her shoulders and hauling her up and helping her sit on the edge of the bathtub.

He flushed the toilet and maneuvered around Sam who exchanged a worried look and started cleaning up the mess on the bathroom floor.

Dean filled a glass full of water from the sink and handed it to her.

"Small sips," he said. She took it and nodded. He studied her closely. She still looked a little green and there was a soft sheen of sweat on her face.

Laney took a big sip, rinsed her mouth and spit into the tub.

"I'm okay," she said, still breathless.

Sam glanced at his sister and Dean and decided it might be a good idea to leave the two alone.

"I'll be back in a few," he said, "I'm going to throw these dirty towels in the wash."

"Thanks Sammy," she said.

He smiled at her and walked out.

Dean watched his brother leave, knowing full well what he was up to, but not really minding.

"What happened kiddo?"

"I don't know. I just woke up and knew I was going to throw up. Didn't quite make it in time," she said, not meeting his eyes.

Dean noticed a shiver race through her. He sat down next to her and placed a hand on her forehead. No fever, but still, he hoped she wasn't coming down with something.

"You feel sick?"

"No, I feel better now," she lied. The nausea was still there and she felt more tired than she had in ages. And she'd just had one of her freaky memory vision thingies. She was reeling on the inside from what she saw and even though she was trying to convince herself she was wrong – that it was just a nightmare – she knew it was the truth. Her father had a made a deal with yellow-eyes. They'd all suspected yellow-eyes had something to do with their father's death, but now she had confirmation, and it was going to break her brothers' hearts, especially Dean. Her father had tried to save her life too. He hadn't been able to, but he'd saved Dean's, and she wasn't mad about it. She was grateful.

"Are you sure?" prodded Dean. She didn't look okay, her eyes looked heavy and haunted.

"I just want to get back to bed," she insisted.

Dean nodded and stood up. He grabbed her hands to help her stand and when she wobbled weakly, instead of going for her crutches, he scooped her up in his arms. When she didn't complain, his level of worry went up a few notches.

He gently placed her on the bed and untangled the mess of blankets on the floor before arranging them around her and tucking her in up to her chin.

"All set," he said. He grabbed her crutches off the floor, placing them within her reach and pulled a trash can over to the side of the bed in case she had to vomit again.

He shut off the bedside light and turned to leave, when her hand shot out from under the blanket and grabbed him by the wrist.

"Stay," said Laney, her voice small and pleading. "At least until I fall asleep."

Dean smiled softly at the voice, reminding him very much of a six year old Laney. "Yeah okay."

Laney scooted over to make room for her brother. He sat down on the bed next to her, his back against the headboard. He put a hesitant arm around her shoulders and felt the ever present knot in his chest grow tighter when she leaned her head into his hip, reached out and grabbed his other hand and held on tightly.

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After about an hour and no sounds of activity from Laney's room, Sam tiptoed up the stairs and peeked into the room. He was surprised and pleased to see the scene before him. Dean was sitting up asleep, his mouth open, and snoring softly. Laney was curled into his side, her arms wrapped around his waist as if hanging on for dear life.

Sam was about to close the door when Dean opened his eyes.

"It's okay," said Sam. "Go on back to sleep."

Dean shook his head and rubbed his eyes. "I've got a few things to take care of."

Sam frowned. It wasn't like his brother to leave his sister when in need. Whenever she'd been sick as a kid, everything in the Winchester world stopped until she was better. Dean would have never left her side. And yet, here it was, happening right in front of him.

Dean gently pulled his sister's arms apart and waited for her to resettle before he eased up from the bed.

"Keep an eye on her," he said. "I think she might be coming down with something."

"Yeah, sure," Sam whispered.

Dean walked passed him sparing him a guilty look.

Sam sighed and walked over to his sister's bed. He checked her head for fever, finding that she was a little warm, but nothing to worry about. He made sure the bathroom doors were open so he could hear her from his room if she had any problems in the night. He lay down on his bed, staring forlornly at the empty bed across from him and wondering if things would ever get back to normal. Whatever that was.

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Dean was midway through replacing the carburetor on the Impala's engine when he heard the scream.

 _Laney!_

His tools clattered to the ground as he took off at breakneck speed for the house. Before he made it to the stairs the screams had become sobs and he could hear the sounds of Sam trying to calm his sister.

"Laney, shhh, shhh, it's okay, I'm here," soothed Sam. He had his sister crushed up against his chest and was rocking her gently.

"What happened?" demanded Dean, breathlessly.

His sister looked up at him wild-eyed and panting as if she'd just run a mile a top speed.

Sam nodded helplessly. "I don't know, nightmare I think."

"Laney, what's going on?" Dean prodded, gently. He knelt down next to the bed in front of his brother and sister.

"Laney, baby," said Sam, "Take deep breaths, come on, it's okay. In and out…in and out."

She breathed shakily, but made a concentrated effort to calm her breathing. Just as she got a handle on it, her eyes went wide and she paled. Dean immediately recognized what was happening and grabbed the trashcan and placed it under her face. She gagged and heaved. There wasn't much of anything in her stomach to get rid of.

After a minute, she sagged against Sam's arms in exhaustion.

Dean came back from the bathroom with a wet cloth and wiped her face.

"Better?" he asked.

She nodded weakly. "Sorry."

"For what?"

"I didn't mean to scare you."

Dean shrugged his shoulders in annoyance. "Nothing to be sorry for."

Sam shifted his position and helped his sister lean back against the headboard of the bed.

"What's going on?" Dean asked gently.

"It was just a nightmare." _Only it wasn't really. I mean it really happened. Dad told you that you might have to kill Sammy and you haven't said a word._

"About what?" asked Dean.

 _You might have to kill Sammy._ "I don't remember," she lied.

Dean gave her a doubtful look. "It's okay if you don't want to talk about it."

"It was about Dad." She knew with that simple statement, Dean would stop prying and she was right.

He cleared his throat. "Anything we can do to help?"

Laney laughed, but it was totally humorless. "I wish."

Dean stood up. "I'm going to get some Gatorade. I don't want you getting dehydrated. And I think maybe you should skip therapy tomorrow."

"What? No," said Laney, sitting up straighter. "I'm not sick Dean. They're just nightmares. I'll be fine."

Dean shook his head. "You don't look fine."

"Dean please," she pleaded.

He sighed heavily and exchanged a glance with Sam. "Alright," he conceded, "If you can manage not to puke anymore tonight. But if you do, deals off."

Laney nodded and leaned back. "Okay."

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Dean looked in the refrigerator and realized that they desperately needed to do some grocery shopping. Aside from a six pack of beer and some rancid leftover takeout, there wasn't anything there. He was going to have to make a quick run to the store.

He grabbed the keys to rental car and his jacket. "I'll be back, gotta run to the store," he called out upstairs.

"Okay," Sam called out.

Dean climbed into the car and started the engine, but sat there for a few minutes, thinking. Something was going on with his sister, something more than nightmares, if that's what they were. Whatever it was, the way she looked at him had shaken him to his core. It was like she'd figured out some secret.

And right now, he had quite a few. He didn't like where things were headed at all.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Laney made it through the rest of that first night without getting sick. Not that the nightmares stopped. Instead she found herself waking up in a cold sweat more than a few times as she got an instant replay of her father's last days on an endless loop over and over in her sleep. She had long since tossed her father's dog tags in a drawer, realizing that wearing them had more than likely triggered the landslide of vision memories. But taking the tags off hadn't helped; it was like she'd unlocked some box that wouldn't close again. She'd done her best to control the violent awakenings. But each night she was more tired from the lack of good sleep, more scared, and more stressed, until her control began to slip until it finally spiraled out of control.

Now, for over a week she'd woken up screaming, throwing up, or sobbing. Sometimes all three. Her nerves were completely shot and her brothers were on edge. Dean had even taken to sleeping upstairs in his bed again to be close by. Laney counted that as a small glimmer of hope in an otherwise crappy situation. The fact remained though, until she figured out how to stop what was happening, it was going to keep destroying her a little bit at a time. The simplest solution seemed to be to come clean with her brothers and tell them what she had seen and hope that maybe just talking about it would be enough. But she didn't know how she could do it, especially to Dean. When he found out about the deal their father made, his soul for his son's life, it would kill him. And how in the world could she ever tell Sammy that her father had told Dean he might have to kill him.

And so it continued without fail. Out of desperation she'd attempted to call Pamela Barnes more than once, but only got her voicemail. Apparently she was still out of the country. It seemed like everyone in her small world was abandoning her one by one.

"Hey baby," Sam said, softly. He took a seat on the bed next to Laney. She'd been laying there for the last several hours, fighting the pull of sleep, because she didn't want to relive any more of her father's memories.

"Hey," she said softly.

"You want to something to eat?"

Laney glanced at the bedside clock and frowned.

"It's three in the morning," she said. "You should be sleeping."

"You went to bed without dinner," he countered, "And I took a nap this afternoon."

"Where's Dean?" she asked, lifting her head up to try and catch a glimpse into their room.

"The garage," he answered plainly.

Laney sighed. "I guess I can't blame him. Not like I'm letting anyone get any sleep around here."

"Not a big deal. Kind of reminds me of when you were a baby," said Sam, with a sly smile.

"Very funny," said Laney, grabbing a pillow and smacking him on the side of the head.

"Hey, my hair!"

Laney smiled, but Sam couldn't help but notice it didn't reach her eyes.

"Seriously," said Sam, "You want to come down to the kitchen? I'll whip up some biscuits or something."

Laney's stomach growled in response. She hadn't been keeping much down these days.

Sam chuckled. "That sounds like a yes."

"Alright," she conceded.

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Laney propped her braced leg up on the chair directly across from her. It was swollen and sore not only from the physical therapy, but because the lack of quality sleep wasn't allowing time for her leg to recover from the daily exercises. She was close, very close to not needing her crutches anymore, so it was more than a little bit frustrating to be dealing with her psychic drama.

Sam was putting a tray of biscuits in the oven to bake and Laney felt comforted by the warmth and safety of the kitchen and presence of her brother.

"So," he said, taking a seat across from her. "Let's talk."

Laney stiffened. She should have known he was trying to get information out of her. "About what?"

Sam gave her his most patient look. "About these nightmares."

"I don't really want to talk about it."

"Baby, whatever is going on, it's not getting any better. It's taking a toll on you and we can't pretend anymore. We need to figure it out so we can make it stop."

Laney scoffed. "You keep saying 'we', like you or Dean can do anything about it. It's my psycho brain mojo crap Sam. Nothing you can do about it. You should know that better than anyone."

Sam's eyebrows shot up in surprise and Laney muttered a curse. The exhaustion made her slip up. She hadn't meant to admit that.

"So you _are_ having visions then," said Sam, swallowing hard.

Laney's eyes darted frantically around the room as she tried to think of some kind of lie to cover up.

Sam spared her. "We can call Pamela."

"I already tried that," admitted Laney, in frustration.

Sam frowned. If that was true, then the situation was even more dire than he thought.

"Do you want to tell me about it?"

Laney bit her lip. "I can't Sammy."

"Why not?"

"I just, I just can't," she whispered. "There's nothing you can do to help and I'm not going to burden you."

Sam reached across the table to grab one of his sister's hands. "Laney, you know when I was having nightmares of Jessica's death, I didn't tell Dean about it for months, but when I finally did it started to get better. Now I barely have any. Not having to bear it alone made it easier to deal with."

Laney's eyes watered and she pulled her hand from Sam's, head dropping at a startling realization.

"I'm so sorry, Sammy," she whispered.

"For what sweetheart?" asked Sam, confused. He reached out and grabbed her hand again, squeezing.

"I've been so selfish and self-centered."

"What are you talking about?"

"You lost Jess too. I forgot," she sniffed. "I forgot and I've been so unfair to you."

"Laney, a lot has been going on this last year. It's okay," he said gently, but firmly.

"No, it's not okay Sammy. You didn't just lose Jess; you lost the life that you wanted. You lost school; your future…and Dad. Of course you want yellow-eyes head on a stick."

Sam got up from his seat and knelt down next to his sister. He pushed her hair out of her face and lifted her chin to look at him.

"Listen, you have absolutely nothing to apologize for. Losing Jess, it was one of the worst things that happened to me. And not being able to go back to school, it stings, I won't lie about that. But after that accident and thinking that you and Dean were dead, almost losing both of you; that was even worse. I just want you to trust me. Tell me what's happening so I can help you."

Laney looked at her brother, tears streaming from her eyes, and recognized just how lucky she really was.

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Dean heard the signs of life coming from the kitchen through the open window near the garage. He hadn't heard any screaming or commotion coming from Laney's room, so he had to assume they were just up because neither one was sleeping.

 _Join the club._

He was exhausted himself, but the constant being jolted out of sleep had messed with his nerves, and he found himself to tense to fall asleep, hence his usual relaxation therapy; working on the Impala.

His mouth watered at the smell of fresh brewed coffee wafting through the open kitchen window and decided it was just what the doctor ordered.

He was nearing the screen door to the kitchen when he caught his brother and sister talking. When he caught a snippet of the conversation, he stopped in his tracks. Now, he'd never been one for eavesdropping, but sometimes it had it uses. So he took a seat on the step outside the kitchen and listened intently.

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"You definitely think it's your abilities?" asked Sam, softly.

"Maybe," she said, softly, through a sniffle. She was still trying to figure out how to proceed without giving anything else away.

Dean gritted his teeth. He'd made the mistake of being lulled into a false sense of security. It had been almost two months since his sister had any visions or psychic anything. A big part of him had been hoping that they had gone dormant or something. Her gifts were unpredictable, erratic, and most of all scary.

"Why do you think so?" asked Sam, gently.

Laney looked at him guiltily. "Don't get mad okay, but I have a little confession to make."

Sam steeled himself. "Okay, what is it?"

"A couple of weeks ago when you and Dean ran off on the lead that led you to the Roadhouse, I went through your bag to see if I could get any clues as to what was going on." She paused to take in her brother's expression, but he smiled and nodded for her to continue.

"It's okay, go ahead."

Laney took a deep breath. "I found Dad's dog tags."

Dean stiffened. He thought the dog tags had been cremated with his father. Sam must have removed them without him noticing.

"Okay," said Sam, slowly, still not sure where this was going.

"I just wanted something of Dad's you know. I had nothing left…after Dean broke my box…" her voice trailed off in the end and Dean wanted to punch himself in the face for that. In a moment of supreme weakness he'd let his anger get the better of him and he'd broken something that was priceless, in its sentimentality.

"It's okay kiddo. I should have told you I had them."

Laney gave him an apologetic look. "I've had them for a couple of weeks. I was sleeping with them under my pillow. And then last week I put them on and fell asleep…and that same night is when…."

"When you first had a nightmare," Sam finished.

"Yeah."

Dean gently pounded his leg in frustration. There was no way this didn't involve her psychic abilities.

"So what are they about?"

Dean braced himself for the answer, even though he already knew it.

"Dad."

Sam nodded and gave her a sympathetic look. "What about him? What do you see?"

"Things that he saw and did in the past. I mean, I'm assuming. I don't know for sure. You know, he never took his tags off. And I guess maybe I'm picking up on it, inadvertently. I took them off, but now can't shake it. I opened some kind of door or something."

Sam nodded his head in understanding. Laney sounded so forlorn. He knew what it was like to be powerless over the visions. He had no control over his whatsoever and that had been the most frustrating part.

"I can't make it stop," she said, sadly.

"You want to tell me what you've been seeing?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't know if what I'm seeing is even real. It could just be nonsense…you know, random stuff. Dad wore those tags for thirty plus years."

Dean pinched the bridge of his nose. He could hear it in his sister's voice; she was lying. Sam might not have picked up on it, but he could hear it loud and clear. She knew something, something big, and it was time for her to spill it.

Dean stood up abruptly and walked into the kitchen.

Laney looked up in surprise. Her face was tear streaked, her eyes red rimmed and bloodshot.

Sam shot him a helpless look.

Laney locked eyes with her eldest brother and right away she knew. "You were listening."

Dean didn't deny it, just sat down at the table across from her.

"It's your gifts doing all this?" he asked

"I don't know," answered Laney, shrugging and looking away.

"You're lying."

"Dean," said Sam, warning in his voice.

Laney didn't reply.

"How long are you going to be able to go on like this?" asked Dean, gruffly. "You're not getting any sleep. You're not eating. What are you waiting for?"

"Don't you think if I knew how to stop this from happening, I would?" said Laney, forcefully.

"If we put our heads together, we can figure it out," said Dean. "But you have to start talking."

"There's nothing to talk about," said Laney, more adamantly.

Dean got up from his seat abruptly and slammed his chair against the table in frustration.

"This is my fault," said Dean, angrily.

Laney looked up at him in surprise. "What are you talking about?"

"You're too spoiled."

Sam's head whipped over to his brother in shock.

Laney moved her braced leg off the seat and sat up straight. "What?"

"I spoiled you too much. You think you can just do whatever you want, get whatever you want, when you want it, without thinking about how it affects the rest of us."

"Dean, that's not true and you know it," said Sam, angrily.

"No Sam, it is true. She's the baby and we've never stopped treating her like one."

Laney's jaw dropped.

Dean put his hands on the table and leaned in towards his sister. "Stop acting like a child. It's time to grow up and think about someone other than yourself."

He pushed back on his hands forcefully and stomped out the room.

Sam squeezed his sister's shoulders before taking off after his brother. She heard the back door slam shut and the distant sound of him shouting out Dean's name. But she didn't hear much beyond that.

She sat at the table in stunned silence, completely numb, her eyes wide. She didn't know where that had all come from. She never thought of herself as spoiled. But Dean had hit a nerve when he accused her of only thinking of herself. Hadn't she just confessed the same thing to Sam only minutes before Dean had walked in? She had spent so much time wanting things to go back to the way they were. Maybe that _was_ selfish and she was resisting the change because it was uncomfortable and unfamiliar. And in the end, she did expect Dean to make it all better as if she were a child.

Laney's head dropped. She got up from the table and realized her crutches were not around. Sam had carried her down the stairs. She was too tired to try and make it to her room and she certainly wouldn't ask for help. Distantly she could hear her brothers' voices, loud and angry. She carefully made her way into the living room and lay down on the couch. She curled up into herself as far as she could and sobbed until exhaustion got the better of her and pulled her into a fitful sleep.

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"Dean, what the hell is wrong with you?! What do you think you're doing saying that to her?" shouted Sam, angrily.

Dean turned around to face his brother, his body taut with anger and strain. "I don't know what else to do Sam. How many more times do we have to put up with her not telling us what's going on and trusting us? She didn't us tell us about her gifts until we dragged her out of school. She had an infected leg in the hospital and didn't tell us then. She's always hiding something!"

"She's having a hard time, man. She's confused and she has these gifts that she doesn't fully understand. She needs our patience and understanding."

"Well patience and understanding isn't getting us anywhere."

"So saying those things to her, accusing her of being spoiled and acting like a child, that's your plan for getting her to open up?"

Dean threw his hands up in the air. "I'm at the end of my rope Sammy. I don't know what else to do."

The weariness in his voice settled Sam's hackles a tiny bit. This was Dean backed into a corner and barely hanging on. He'd seen it before and when it happened, he tended to say stupid things he didn't mean. The problem was that their sister was in such a delicate state of mind that she wouldn't get it, wouldn't be able to process it for what it was – Dean spouting a bunch of nonsense because he was frustrated – and scared. Sam easily recognized it because he'd spent every last second of the past year at his brother's side. But Laney had been away at school and come back changed.

"She tried to call Pamela," Sam said finally and calmly.

Dean looked at him in surprise. It wasn't what he expected his brother to say. "What happened?"

"She said couldn't get a hold of her. She's out of the country still."

"Well, if she was trying to call Pamela, then you know this has something to do with her abilities."

Sam nodded. "Yeah, I know."

Dean took a seat on the work bench next to the Impala. "What do you think is so bad that she won't share it with us?"

"If her nightmares are really about Dad, maybe she's seen something that she doesn't want us to know about. You and I both know that Dad had a lot of secrets."

Dean nodded in agreement. "Ain't that the truth."

"Whatever it is Dean, she's probably not telling us because she's trying to protect you and me from something."

Dean sighed. And he had just accused her of only caring about herself. And wasn't he keeping his own big secret? _Hypocrite much?_

"You ever notice that when we try to protect one another from something, we still get hurt in the end?" asked Sam.

Dean snorted at his brother's dead on insight. "Yeah I've noticed."

"What's going on with you Dean?" Sam asked his voice light and non-threatening.

Dean shook his head and took several long minutes before he spoke. "I wish I knew."

"What do you mean?"

"I want…I want things to be like they were again…but they're not and I don't know what to do."

"Laney just wants you to be her big brother," said Sam.

"Everything is different now."

"Like how?" asked Sam, genuinely interested in the answer.

"I'm officially her guardian now, her parent. Now if I mess her up, I don't know, it's hard to explain."

Sam frowned. "Unofficially you've always been her parent. You know that, I know that…Laney knows that."

Dean nodded. "I know. It's just... my head isn't in a good place right now and she needs more than I have to give."

Sam rubbed his chin, deep in thought, when he heard the cracking of popping glass. He looked up and met eyes with Dean.

Dean stood up and sniffed the air. "Do I smell smoke?"

Sam's eyes shot up in sudden realization. He'd forgotten about the biscuits he'd put in the oven. He looked at Dean eyes wide with terror.

"Laney," he said, and took off at a run for the house.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I am leaving on vacation tonight, so I may or may not be able to post updates before my return home next Wednesday. I will do my best!**

Chapter 7

Laney was in the clutches of another nightmare-memory and she knew that she was going to have to ride it out. There was no way to wake herself up until it had run its course and it wasn't for lack of trying. Instead, she had focused her energy on controlling the awakenings the best she could. She saw what was happening, but it was nothing new; her father in the clutches of Meg and her minions, being tortured. Only this time she wondered why she was vaguely aware of the acrid smell of smoke.

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"Dean! I forgot, I left biscuits baking in the oven!" Sam shouted.

Dean's eyes widened in understanding; his sister was in there.

They reached the back door to the kitchen simultaneously. The sounds of glass popping had been the kitchen windows imploding from the heat. Flames and thick black smoke were pouring already pouring out.

"Laney!" Dean shouted.

Dean grabbed the doorknob and cursed. It was extremely hot. He pulled his sleeve over his hand and tried again. It was locked so he started kicking at it, Sam joining in.

"Sammy, call 911," said Dean, handing him his phone.

"Laney!" Dean shouted again, pounding on the door.

Dean heard Sam yelling directions to the 911 dispatcher. "There's a fire and my sister is trapped inside!"

Dean's chest tightened. The door was jammed shut. He took off at run for the side of the house. He tried to keep himself from panicking. His sister was probably upstairs in her room and it was possible she couldn't hear anything. But still she should have at least smelled the smoke. In another minute or two her escape route down the stairs might be blocked.

Sam ran up behind him. "They're five minutes away," he said, breathlessly.

 _That's too long,_ thought Dean. "Laney!" he shouted again up at her open window.

"Why isn't she answering?" asked Sam, his voice tight.

Dean was studying the house. "I don't know. Give me a boost," he said.

Sam put out his hand to boost his brother up onto the roof of the side porch. From there he could get into his sister's room.

Sam grunted under the weight and gave his brother a big push. Dean landed on the roof with a heavy thud and immediately got his footing. He quickly made it to his sister's window, which was open, and climbed in.

"Laney, get up, there's a fire!" he shouted.

It took his eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness of the room. When he finally did, he realized much to his horror; Laney's bed was empty.

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The smell of smoke in Laney's nightmare became ever increasingly present. It confused her. She didn't remember smoke anywhere while her father was being held by Meg, nor the heat that she was beginning to become aware of. She worried that she was falling into a new memory that she hadn't seen yet and she retreated a little further into herself. She didn't know how much more she could take, how much more she wanted to see. Yet, she felt a nagging sense of danger that she couldn't shake. Not that it mattered. There was nothing she could do about it. She was trapped in her own mind.

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Dean grabbed at the sheets on the bed, just to make sure he wasn't missing her. But it was definitely empty. He raced back to the window.

"Sammy she's not in her room!"

Even from the distance he could see Sam's face visibly pale. "Check our room! I'm going to try the front door!"

Dean didn't even respond, he just turned around and ran into his room. She wasn't there either. He opened the bedroom door and choked on his yell. A thin layer of smoke blew into the room. There was no heat, which meant the fire was still confined to the first floor. But if she wasn't upstairs than that was the only place she could be, and Dean's heart, that was already beating like a jackhammer, felt like it would burst through his chest.

He tried the light switches, but wasn't getting any light. The circuit breaker was in the kitchen and had probably been shorted out by the fire.

"Laney!" he yelled, as he made his way, blindly down the stairs.

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Sam reached the front door and tried the knob. It was locked, and Bobby's doors were meant to be difficult to open. He kicked at it in a fruitless effort, before picking up a nearby plank of wood and breaking the nearest window. A thick plume of smoke poured out and burned his eyes. He could see the flames licking at the entrance to the kitchen, it was completely engulfed, and he knew it wouldn't be much longer before it started in on the rest of the house.

"Laney!" he shouted. But still no response. His ears perked up at the sound of approaching sirens. Help was on the way.

He shouted for his sister again and was joined by Dean's own desperate yells.

The opening to the window was too small for Sam to get his body through and he couldn't see a thing due to the smoke.

"Dean! Are you downstairs?"

"Where the hell is she Sammy?!" he yelled back.

"Open the door!"

Dean's eyes were burning with smoke; the visibility was horrible and he tripped over a small table. He could see the flames from the kitchen and hear the popping and cracking of glass combusting due to the heat.

He scrambled blindly for the door and got it open. Sam came in immediately, pulled his brother out for a second so he could grab some fresh air.

Dean coughed. "I don't see her. Why isn't she answering?" he asked desperately.

Sam's eyes shimmered with tears. It couldn't end like this. Not like this. Not with fire. Not like Mom and Jess.

Sam took a deep breath and rushed into the house, Dean followed him. They made their way to the living room when suddenly Dean could make a shape out on the couch. One suspiciously shaped like a person.

"Laney!" shouted Dean. "Sammy I found her!"

Dean reached for her the couch, ignoring the stifling heat radiating from nearby. He could hear the wail of sirens and see the reflections of the lights bouncing off the walls. The lights illuminated his sister's face enough that he could make it out; it was covered in a layer of black soot. She wasn't moving, wasn't responding at all, and Dean thought he was going to die right then and there. Sam loomed over him, fear reflected in his eyes.

Dean quickly lifted Laney up into his arms and made his way towards the door, Sam leading the way. There was no time to check her pulse or her breathing. They were just clearing the front door when a firefighter met them.

"Is there anyone else inside?"

"No, just us," said Sam. "But I think my sister is hurt, she inhaled a lot of smoke, she's not conscious."

The firefighter briefly glanced at the bundle in Dean's arms and shouted for a paramedic.

There was a bustle of activity as the firefighters pulled out their hoses and shouted directions to each other.

Dean rushed quickly away from the activity and found a spot to sit down on the ground, still cradling his sister. He felt for her pulse. It was fast but regular. He watched her chest rising and falling a bit too rapidly for his own taste. The breaths were coming out in raspy wheezes. He tapped at her face, but got no response. He looked at Sam, terror in his eyes.

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It was less than a minute before the paramedics made it to the scene. They quickly made their way towards the civilians they saw huddled off to the side and away from the house.

"Who's injured?" asked a paramedic.

"It's our sister," said Sam. "She inhaled a lot of smoke, she's not conscious," he added, voice cracking.

"Here, give us some room," said the medic.

Sam moved back to stand behind Dean, but Dean wasn't moving. He just clutched Laney tighter to his chest and cast them a desperate look; as if in letting her go, he might not get her back.

"Sir, please, we need to assess her."

"Dean," said Sam, softly but urgently. He tugged his brother's sleeve. Dean finally relented and laid his sister down on the ground to allow the medics access.

"What's her name?"

"Delaney, she's 17," said Dean.

"What her medical history?" asked the paramedic, noticing the leg brace and what appeared to be newly healed scars on her upper chest.

"She was in a major car accident about almost 4 months ago," said Dean. "Internal injuries, head trauma, broke her leg. She's still recovering," he added, gruffly. So much had happened to his sister in the last year, it was overwhelming. When were they ever going to catch a break?

The paramedic nodded his head and began doing his assessment. "How long was she inside with the smoke?"

Sam shook his head and threw up his hands in a helpless gesture. "We're not sure. We were outside and didn't notice right away. Maybe ten or fifteen minutes."

Dean looked at his brother picking up on the grief. Sam's voice was heavily laced with guilt.

"Oxygen sat is at 84%," the paramedic said to his partner, frowning. "Let's get her in the bus and get the O2 going."

Dean's heart skipped a beat. Aside from her poor oxygen saturation there could be damage to her lungs, toxic fumes, and God only knows what else.

"Is she going to be okay?" asked Sam, his voice thick with worry.

The paramedic looked up at Sam. "Her vitals are stable, we need to get her on oxygen, get some breathing treatments. I'll be happier when she regains consciousness."

Sam nodded and swallowed the lump in this throat.

The paramedics lifted Laney up on to the stretcher. Dean reached over and grabbed on to her hand, squeezing and hoping for a response, but not getting one.

"Only one of you can come with us. We're taking her to Metro South Hospital."

Dean cast Sam an apologetic look, because there was no way he wasn't the one going.

Sam nodded in understanding. "I'll stay here and deal with the authorities," he said. "I'll be there as soon as I can, keep me updated."

"Okay," said Dean. He glanced over at the house. It looked like the firefighters had already knocked down the fire. Dean was vaguely grateful that they hadn't burned down Bobby's whole house. Not that it mattered much if his sister wasn't going to be okay.

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Laney could feel herself on the verge of awakening, but it was different than her usual experience. Her body felt heavy and tired and her chest felt tight. She swore she could hear the sound of distant voices and a beeping noise that had some ring of familiarity to it. Something was really wrong.

Then she felt the touch of unfamiliar hands and a prick of pain, and panicked.

Dean had been watching his sister so close, he didn't know how he missed it. He'd been looking for any sign – any inkling of her awareness, or of her coming to and didn't get any. So when she suddenly lurched up from the stretcher it completely caught him by surprise.

"Laney sweetheart, it's okay kiddo, it's okay," he said roughly, grabbing at her wildly flailing hands.

Her eyes darted around the ambulance unfocused and confused. She finally made eye contact with her big brother and visibly relaxed.

"Whoa, whoa, relax honey," said the paramedic.

She opened her mouth to try to speak, but choked on her words. She doubled over in a fit of uncontrollable coughing that made Dean wince in sympathy.

He could see the question in her eyes. _What happened?_

"There was fire and you inhaled a lot of smoke, but you'll be okay," he said, gripping her hand tightly. "The paramedic is going to help you, just lay back and relax."

Laney hesitated but laid back down when she realized how difficult it was to get a decent breath.

She looked over at the paramedic who was attempting to re-insert the IV in her arm. So, that had been the prick she felt.

Dean stroked her hair back away from her face. "Good girl," he said.

"Sammy?" she mouthed the word, but he understood it perfectly.

"He's fine. He'll meet us at the hospital."

Laney nodded. She had no idea what had really happened, but the smoke and the heat she'd felt in her nightmare-memory made sense. What confused her now was Dean being by her side and looking so worried, looking like he was trying hard not to cry. It couldn't have been that long ago that he'd been telling her what a child she was and that she had to grow up. Yet now he was right by her side, looking like he didn't want to be anywhere else.

Dean watched the play of emotions across her face, confusion, fear, gratitude. He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead.

He had a lot of explaining to do.

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The ER doctors this time had nothing but good news, a far cry from the last time Laney had seen the inside of a hospital. She'd suffered some serious smoke inhalation, but all it required was a lot of oxygen, several breathing treatments, and an overnight stay for observation. Otherwise she would make a full recovery.

Dean had never been more relieved. He had called Sam with the good news and smiled at the audible relief in his little brother's voice. He knew the kid was beating himself up over the fire. That was a Winchester thing, always trying to take on the blame for everything that ever went wrong.

Dean was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of motion coming from his sister. She was miming something at him. The doctor had imposed a strict no talking rule on her. Her throat was so raw and inflamed, she hadn't complained in the least.

"What?" asked Dean.

She mimed a cup to her mouth.

"Water?"

Laney nodded.

"Doc says ice chips only until tomorrow," said Dean. He grabbed the cup of ice chips off the bedside table and put some on a spoon.

Laney sighed heavily. Back in a hospital again, needing to be waited on again – like a baby. Sucked hard.

"You can do it yourself if you want," said Dean, schooled enough in his sister's expressions to understand what was going on in her head.

Laney shrugged and rolled her eyes. "Whatever," she mouthed.

Dean tentatively lifted a spoonful to her mouth.

She mouthed a thank you.

"Don't mention it," he said.

She gagged and coughed a bit at the ice sliding down her throat, wincing at the pain. Dean patted her back until she calmed down

"Take it easy."

She nodded and leaned back. Dean frowned at the loud wheezing of her breathing. Even though all the doctors had insisted she was going to be fine, he was still on edge.

She started miming again.

"You should get some rest," said Dean. "I'm not really up for a game of charades right now."

She shot daggers at him, but stubborn as ever, she continued to mime.

"Pen and paper? You want to write something?"

Laney nodded.

Dean patted down his jacket for a pen and pulled it out. He grabbed a notepad from the table and handed both to her.

She quickly jotted something down and showed it to him. _"Tell me everything."_

Dean sat back down in the chair next to her bed and sighed heavily. "Fire in the kitchen," he said. "Sammy said he left some biscuits or something in the oven and forgot all about them."

Laney frowned and jotted another note. _"Bobby's house okay?"_

"I think it was just kitchen." A few more minutes though and it would have been more. A lot more.

Laney's frown deepened. She wrote again and thrust the pad in Dean's face. _"_ _What's wrong?"_

Dean's face darkened. "Sam and I were outside so we didn't notice the fire until it was fully blown and you…you weren't in your room. We couldn't find you."

Laney nodded in understanding. _"Didn't have my crutches, so I crashed on couch."_

Dean ran a weary hand through his hair. "We were yelling for you. How come you didn't answer? Didn't you smell the smoke?"

Laney chewed on her bottom lip and tapped the pen on the pad. There was really no way around the truth. She hesitated for a moment before jotting her answer down. She turned the paper towards him. _"Nightmare."_

"I don't understand. You still should have woken up," said Dean.

Laney bit her lip even harder and wrote. _"_ _Nightmare-memory."_

Dean's eyes widened in comprehension. "You _couldn't_ wake up?"

Laney shook her head no.

Dean scowled. Talk about a bad time to have one of her abilities rear its ugly head.

Dean turned around to the sound of hurried feet entering the room. "Hey Sam."

Sam nodded his head at his brother, but his attention was fully focused on the little sister he'd almost killed.

Laney noticed the wet shine of his eyes and melted. She opened her arms to him and gestured for him to come over to her.

He gently put his arms around her, chuckling lightly when she tightly pulled him closer. He kissed her cheek. "I'm glad you're okay."

Laney smiled and reached over for the pen and paper. Sam gave Dean a questioning look.

"She's not allowed to talk for a couple of days at least," said Dean.

Sam's jaw set, his teeth clenched.

Laney elbowed him in the side and thrust the paper in his face. _"Not your fault."_

Dean peeked around him to read it. "She's right."

Sam shook his head. "Its my fault. I forgot I left the food in the oven."

"Yeah and if I hadn't been such a colossal dick, you wouldn't have run out after me and forgotten about them. So if you want to blame someone you can blame me."

Laney rolled her eyes and sighed in frustration. _"Nobody's fault. Let it go."_

Dean smiled. "Good advice," he said to his brother.

Sam put up his hands in surrender and took a seat in the empty chair next to his brother. He supposed they could put the blame game on hold for awhile.

"So what's the damage?" Dean asked.

"Kitchen is a total loss. Water damage in the living room, smoke damage throughout the first floor. But the structure is still intact," said Sam. "I called Bobby and told him. He's a couple days out. I told him we'd take care of the insurance company and all that."

"Yeah, least we can do."

"He was more worried about Laney," said Sam.

Laney smiled. She was glad they'd be home before he got back. At least it would give her a chance to clean up the place as much as possible.

"Well, she's going to be back in the saddle in no time," said Dean, reassuring his brother.

Laney nodded mid-yawn.

"Time for you to get some rest," said Dean. "And not a word about it," he added, with a mischievous grin.

Laney narrowed her eyes at her brother and wrote, _"So not funny."_

"Gotta' get my kicks somewhere," he said. He pulled the blankets up to her chin and kissed her on the forehead.

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Much later that morning Dean came in to relieve his brother. Sam had stayed with Laney while he'd gone back to wait for the insurance investigators to do a damage assessment. He also wanted to make sure that whatever the insurance wasn't going to cover, Bobby never found out about; because Dean intended to use the money from the settlement they'd received from the accident. There was more than enough there, and they owed it to Bobby big time, but he was a proud man and would never accept it if he knew about it.

"Good morning," Dean said, in a sing song voice. He smacked Sam on the back of the head with the paper bag he was carrying.

"Ow, dammit," said Sam, startling awake with a snort.

"Smooth Sammy."

"Bite me."

"Keep it down," Dean admonished with a smile. "The baby is still asleep."

Sam rolled his eyes and rubbed them tiredly. He looked over at his sister, still sound asleep despite the noisy entrance of his brother.

"How'd she sleep?" Dean asked, with a nod of the head towards his sister.

Sam frowned. "Woke up freaked out a couple of times. She called out for you a few times too."

"Dude, you should have called me," said Dean.

"I got her settled quickly and she's been asleep fine for a while now," said Sam, "I _can_ take care of her too, you know."

"I know that," said Dean, irritated, not really with his brother, more with himself.

Sam saw the worry in Dean's eyes, despite the smile he'd been wearing. "She's okay," Sam reminded him.

Dean ran his hands through his hair. "Yeah, I know." He sighed and took a seat in the chair next to his brother. "You should go back to the house and get some real sleep."

"I'm fine," said Sam, with a yawn.

"Yeah, you look fantastic. What, with your hair standing up straight and smelling like you smoked a warehouse full of cigarettes."

Sam gave his brother a dirty look but surreptitiously sniffed his shirt, wrinkling his nose at the result.

"Seriously, back to the house, take a shower, grab a nap. They'll be releasing Laney sometime this afternoon."

Sam looked at his sister, but hesitated. Part of that hesitation was worry about leaving his brother and sister in the same room together. No telling what might happen. But he'd seen the look in Dean's eyes the night before when he found out Laney was in the house that was going up in flames. He suspected Dean wasn't going to be picking any fights for a while.

"Yeah, okay. I'll be back in a few hours." He leaned over and kissed his sister's forehead.

Dean handed his brother the car keys. "Bring back a change of clothes for her."

Sam nodded, took one last look at his sister and left.

Dean grabbed his sandwich from his bag and took a bite. When he glanced back at his sister her eyes were open and staring at him.

"Good morning," he said, with a smile. "Hope you don't mind if I eat my breakfast right in front of you."

Laney yawned and reached over and grabbed the pen and paper and wrote. _"Rude."_

Dean smirked. "Yeah, I know. Don't worry, as soon as I'm done, I'll get you something once I make sure it's okay."

Laney nodded and gave him thumbs up.

In the light of day everything seemed different. She hadn't forgotten the harsh words her brother had spoken to her the night before, yet at the same time, they seemed miles and miles away.

Dean finished off his sandwich in two quick bites. "So, I think we should talk."

Laney raised an eyebrow and pointed to her throat.

"I know, but I'll be the one doing all the talking."

Laney's eyebrow shot even higher.

Dean cleared his throat. "What I said to you last night was way off base."

Dean looked at his sister, her eyes already glistening with tears.

"I know things have been bad. I'm the head of this family and I abandoned my post. I promised you that I would take care of you. I've made a lot of mistakes lately and I can't promise you I won't make anymore, but I'm really going to try."

Laney put up a hand to try and get her brother to stop talking. Hearing him say what she'd been hoping to hear for so long was brutal and wonderful all at once. Hearing the all out chick flick moment was almost painful.

She grabbed the notepad and began writing. Dean's brow furrowed when it took a little while for her to finish. She handed it to him.

 _"_ _My fault too. I was stirring up trouble. I haven't been honest with you or Sam. I have been a big baby. You were right about that."_

Dean shook his head, silently cursing. "I wasn't right about anything. You've been the most mature one in the house for awhile now. Whatever acting up you were doing, I know it was just a cry for help. I'm just sorry it took so long for me to hear you."

And that was true. Dean had been thinking about it since he'd left the hospital and most of the morning while he'd been waiting for the insurance guy. His sister had been doing so much, going through brutal physical therapy, seeing the shrink that he'd insisted on, and not really complaining about it. She'd even stopped taking her pills and suffered in silence. All she wanted was for her big brother to notice her. And he finally did.

Laney sniffled. Dean grabbed her hand. "Look at me," he said, thumbing away her tears.

She looked at him, her lip quivering.

"Things are going to change, I swear. We're in this together. Me, you and Sammy – the three of us against the world," said Dean.

Laney leaned in to hug him. He returned the embrace. "I'm so sorry," he whispered in her ear.

She pulled back and smiled at him, giving him a peck on the cheek.

Dean flushed slightly. He cleared his throat. "Not that you're completely off the hook," he said sternly, pointing a finger at her. "Ditching therapy and running off to the Roadhouse – we _are_ still going to have a discussion about that. Oh, and throwing out your computer stuff and tracking down Gavin, and…"

Laney picked up the paper and pen and wrote quickly. She handed it to her brother.

 _"_ _Shut up and go get me a Caramel Latte."_

Dean blinked in surprise and amusement and then barked a hearty Dean Winchester – patented laugh. The one she hadn't heard in months.

Her heart soared.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"What the hell did you do to my crutches?" asked Laney, her voice still rough.

Dean exchanged a mischievous smile with his brother. "I thought they could use a little bit of the old Dean Winchester touch."

"Band stickers?" she smirked, reading the different stickers; Metallica prominently displayed on the handles.

"Why not?" he asked, with an innocent shrug

Laney smiled brightly. "Doesn't matter much, I won't be on them much longer anyway."

Dean smiled back. They'd only been home from the hospital for two days, but the change in his little sister's overall demeanor was dramatic. If only he'd done the right thing from the start they probably could have all spared themselves some serious heartache. But that was the Winchester way, wasn't it? Learning things the hard way. And he guessed that wasn't going to change anytime soon.

Laney grabbed the crutches from her brother and tested her legs again. Since they'd come home from the hospital, her brothers' had taken the doctor's orders for limited physical activity a little too far, and they had been carrying her everywhere she needed to go. It was humiliating and comforting all at the same time.

Laney took a quick spin around the living room, pausing to cough a bit, and putting up her hand when Sam asked if she was okay. Dean was already approaching her like he was going to rip her new found freedom away.

"I'm okay," she said.

"Yes, that's why it sounds like you've been gargling swords," deadpanned Dean.

"Doctor says it will go away in a few days. Really, I feel fine," she said, smiling.

Dean backed off, his hands up. "Okay."

"Good," said Laney, triumphantly. She glanced around the room. "We really need to get started on this mess. Bobby is going to be back any minute now."

"Don't worry about," said Dean. "I've got a cleaning crew coming in an hour and I found a contractor and it's all going to be taken care of."

"Really?"

Dean faked hurt. "You wound my soul. You have no faith in me?"

"Of course I do," said Laney. "It's just – "

"What's wrong?" asked Sam.

Laney shrugged her shoulder. "I'm feeling a little restless."

"I'm sure we can find something for you to do," said Dean, cheerfully.

Something in the way he said it made Laney narrow her eyes at him suspiciously. "Hmm, what are you up to?"

"Who me?" he asked innocently.

"Yeah you," she said, pointing a finger at him. "What's up?"

Sam fidgeted with the sleeve on his shirt and looked at his brother uncertainly. He and Dean had finally talked at length about how they could better deal with their sister and this particular idea Dean had come up with – well, Sam had his reservations about it being too soon. But Dean had reminded him that he was her guardian now as well as the big brother to both of them, so his word was gold. So Sam had to grin and bear it.

"Follow me," said Dean.

Laney raised a curious eyebrow, and followed her brother outside and into one of Bobby's work areas. She came up short when saw what was laid out on the work table.

"No Dean." She started to turn around to head back for the house.

Dean stood in front of her, blocking her path. "Come on Laney. I just thought you might want to tinker with something. No pressure, no expectation, no deadlines; just a way to blow off some steam and keep busy."

Laney's mouth formed a hard line. On the table was all of the computer and electronics equipment that she had thrown away a couple weeks earlier, along with her tools. She hadn't thought about it since because she hadn't had any intention of touching any of it ever again.

She glared at her eldest brother, her expression only softening when she saw his earlier confidence replaced by uncertainty. Dean had been trying for the last two days to right some his wrongs. It hadn't escaped her notice that not once had he mentioned their Dad and she wasn't completely oblivious to the fact that not once in that time had he gone to work on the Impala. He'd spent the whole time trying to entertain her, by renting her favorite movies, stocking up on her favorite snacks, and re-telling his favorite stories of her growing up. He'd also let her curl up next to him in his bed at night and her nightmares had mercifully left her alone. Maybe a little give and take was in order.

Laney let out a long breath. "Alright."

Dean smiled brightly and triumphantly at his little brother. "Told you," he mouthed.

Sam rolled his eyes. It was nice to have his cocky brother back, but still, it was annoying as ever.

"We'll leave you to it," said Sam.

Laney nodded and waited until her brothers were out of sight before she took a seat at the bench. Her old laptop's guts were spread out before her. They almost seemed to be mocking her; a reminder that she wasn't all she used to be. She was damaged now.

She sat and stared for a really long time before she hesitantly reached for her tools. Behind her and out of sight, Sam and Dean breathed identical sighs of relief.

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"How did you manage to get a crew out here so fast?" asked Sam, in amazement. The work crew had been at it for only a couple of hours and had already made significant progress.

The whole kitchen and back porch needed to be rebuilt, but other than not having a place to make meals for a while, the house was totally livable.

"I used my incredible charms," said Dean, with a waggle of his eyebrows.

Sam rolled his eyes. "Right."

Dean smiled slyly, "Okay, so I had to grease a few hands to get the ball rolling. You know money makes the world go round, Sammy. It's the least we could do for almost turning Bobby's place in scrap lumber."

"No kidding," said Sam, handing his brother a box of books.

Dean lifted them up and headed for the basement. They were slowly but surely putting away anything that might raise some eyebrows. Bobby's place was a hunter's house through and through and Sam had a time of it with the authorities trying to explain his eccentric "Uncle" Bobby's collection of medieval weaponry and books on the occult.

Sam followed his brother into the basement and piled his box on top of Dean's.

"Laney's been sleeping okay the last couple of nights," said Dean. And if he had known letting his sister hog up his bed and constantly kick him in his sleep would have stopped the nightmares, he'd have done it a long time ago.

"Yeah I noticed. You think it's over?" asked Sam, wiping the sweat from his brow.

"I wouldn't have a clue. Let's just counting our blessings."

"You going to ask her again about what was happening?"

"I think I'm going to let it go for now, unless it becomes a problem again. I don't really feel like rocking the boat, you know what I mean." _Especially with what happened last time._

"Works for me," said Sam, feeling some of the strain of the last months ease off his shoulders.

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Several hours later the work crews had finished up with the cleaning and already framed the new kitchen and porch. Dean was more than pleased with the work, even if it was taking a considerable chunk out of the settlement money. He was promised a completed job within a week, two at the most.

What was more pleasing to Dean was the fact that Laney hadn't poked her head back inside all day. Sam had checked on her to make sure she was okay, but other than that, they had left her alone.

Dean grabbed a beer from a cooler on the porch – bribery for getting workers to work harder – and decided to pay his sister a visit. He approached as quietly as he could and watched his sister work. He almost spit out a mouthful of beer when he heard his sister let out a creative stream of curses that he didn't even know she knew. He was appalled, but proud.

Laney turned around when she heard her brother sputter.

"Eavesdropping again?"

Dean was about to remark when noticed the mirth in her voice.

"Just checking up on you. You've been out here all day."

"Isn't that what you were aiming for?" she asked.

"I guess it was. How's it coming along?"

"It's coming."

"And?"

Laney sighed and put down one of her tools. She wiped at the sweat on her face. It was then that Dean noticed how flushed she was. It had been a really warm day. Suddenly he was worried she might be dehydrated or have heat exhaustion or something. He walked over and turned on an oscillating fan, aiming it towards her.

"I'm not as …" Laney paused while she tried and failed to find the right word. "Well, it doesn't come as easy as it used to, that's for sure. I've had to refer to some outside sources for help." Her mouth twisted as if it disgusted her to admit that.

"Asking for help isn't a bad thing."

Laney looked at her brother, wondering if he was talking about more than the computer.

"I know. And you should take your own advice," she said pointedly.

Dean took a long swig of his beer and sat down next to her.

"So was this a bad idea?" Dean asked quietly.

"Yes – no – I don't know," she said with a shake of her head, "Everything is different now."

"Like how?"

Laney thought about it for a moment. "Well, think of how much you love the Impala."

"Okay," said Dean, slowly.

"You love that car and fixing it brings you pleasure, it relaxes you, you look forward to it, and you're really good at it."

"Okay," repeated Dean, still not sure where this conversation was going.

"Well, say tomorrow the Impala is gone and now all you've got instead is a minivan in disorganized pieces that you've got to restore and you have all the wrong tools and no manual."

Dean shivered dramatically. "Yikes."

"Exactly, you could do it eventually because deep down you know how. It's instinctual, but it wouldn't give you any pleasure. You would hate every second of it."

"Are you saying that's what you feel about all this – the computers – now?" asked Dean, scratching his head.

"Yes," she answered. "It's not that I don't know what to do or how to do it, even though it doesn't come as easily as it did before, it's just that I don't really care anymore. It doesn't excite me. It's like washing dishes or doing laundry. Necessary but dull."

"You think it's because of the accident – your head injury?" asked Dean, softly.

Laney shrugged, staring at the table. "Seems like the most logical explanation. I don't know why else. All I know is that this used to be fun for me, and now it's tedious and frustrating."

"Maybe it's just because it's not second nature anymore, you know." offered Dean.

"No, I just don't care about it anymore. I mean, I really don't care."

Dean frowned trying to imagine what it must be like to have something you once loved become foreign and joyless.

"Maybe that will change with a little time."

"I don't think so," insisted Laney.

"So what do you want to do? What interests you now?"

"Saving people," said Laney, simply. "When I helped all those victims I saw in my visions get justice and we caught that serial killer and helped Callie's spirit – as hard as it all was – you know, it made me feel more alive than ever. It made me feel like I had a purpose."

"Everything you've always done for me and Dad and Sam, with the research and stuff, that always made a difference," said Dean.

"It's not the same."

"Yes it is," insisted Dean.

"I know I helped Dean, but it's really _not_ the same. It's safer, I know, but not the same."

And that was straight to the heart of the matter for Dean. His sister behind her laptop and buried in books – that was safe. That was the way he wanted it to always be, the way he'd always expected it to be. But that wasn't the case anymore.

Laney studied the expressions playing across her brother's face.

"You didn't change your mind did you? About training me? About letting me hunt?" asked Laney, urgently.

"No, no. I'm going to teach you everything you need to know, I swear. Once you're back on your feet, we'll start training."

Laney settled down. "You can teach me what I should know, otherwise."

"Haven't you read every book in existence?"

"There is a lot I don't remember," Laney said sadly. "And books are great Dean, but real life experience doesn't compare."

"That is true," he admitted.

"I thought maybe you could tell me about past hunts, stuff I missed while I was at MIT?" Laney sounded so hopeful, yet hesitant.

Dean rubbed at his chin. She was reaching out for his help and love; he heard that loud and clear.

"Yeah, okay. I can do that," Dean said finally.

"Not today though," said Laney, smiling brightly. "I've got to finish this here," she added, pointing at the parts on the table.

"I thought you just said you hated it."

"I did. But that doesn't mean I'm not going to finish it."

Dean cocked an eyebrow.

"I have to finish it Dean. To prove to myself I still can."

He nodded in understanding. "I get it," he said. He got up, placed a kiss on top of his sister's head, and started walking away.

"Hey Dean?" she called out

"Yeah kiddo?" he asked, turning around.

"It's okay you know, if you want to work on the Impala."

Dean looked thoughtful before he turned away.

Laney watched him go, smiling, when she heard him whistling.

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"I've got something to show you," said Laney.

Something in her tone gave Dean pause.

"You sound an awful lot like that time when you were four and you bedazzled my leather jacket," said Dean.

Laney made a face. "Busted," she said.

Dean cocked an eyebrow. "Cute."

"I know."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Okay what is it?"

"Follow me."

Dean followed his sister outside through the newly rebuilt kitchen. Minus the appliances, it was pretty much finished.

"Well, it only took me a week and a half around the clock," she said, but here it is.

Laney pulled off a cloth with a flourish.

"Is that what I think it is?" asked Dean, smiling.

"Yup. I just finished it. It works and everything."

She reached over, turned on her newly rebuilt laptop and booted it up.

Dean walked over and checked it out. "Impressive."

"It's not too bad," said Laney with a shrug. "Took me twice as long as it should have, but you know."

"It's great," said Dean. "I'm really proud of you."

Dean stifled a smile at his sister's obvious embarrassment. Dean was not much for words, more a man of action. But he was taking some of her counselor's advice to be more verbal with his sister.

"Thanks," she said, shuffling nervously.

A shadow fell over the table. "Am I interrupting something?"

"No way Sammy, I was just showing Dean my laptop."

Dean grinned widely at his brother's confused face. "She finished it. Told ya'."

Sam walked over and checked it out, he put an arm around her shoulder and squeezed. "Great job, kiddo."

Laney smiled and took a seat on the work bench.

"Did you get it?" Dean asked, looking at Sam.

"I did. We're all set."

"All set for what?" asked Laney.

Sam pulled a bottle of scotch out of a paper bag he was carrying.

"Are we celebrating something?" asked Laney.

"Sam and I are," said Dean.

Sam pulled another bottle from the bag; a bottle of sparkling apple cider.

"This is for you," said Sam.

"Gee thanks," said Laney, with a roll of her eyes.

Dean gave her an amused look.

"What's this all about?" asked Laney.

Dean smiled smugly. "I've got something to show you two."

"Okay," said Laney, intrigued.

Sam had poured a couple of glasses with a bit of scotch and poured her a glass of cider.

"Come on outside," said Dean.

Laney followed her brother outside, Sam trailing behind her. She stopped short at the sight before her.

It was the Impala, shining and gleaming in the afternoon sun, looking like it was fresh from a dealership showroom.

"Wow," said Laney, breathlessly.

Dean smiled and walked around to the driver door. He got in and started the engine, revving it up loudly.

"Wow," said Laney again. She couldn't help the tears that started falling. Although she never truly doubted Dean's ability to revive the Impala back to its former glory, it was still startling to see.

"You okay kiddo?" asked Sam, putting an arm around her shoulders.

Laney nodded her head and wiped her eyes. "I'm good, Sammy."

Dean turned off the engine and approached his sister. "You did awesome big brother. It looks amazing," her voice cracked on the last word.

Dean looked at her worriedly. Then she suddenly launched herself into his arms, dropping the crutches in her wake.

"Whoa, whoa," said Dean, rubbing her back and looking at Sam with concern. "You okay?"

"I'm good. This is a good thing," insisted Laney.

Dean smiled and pulled away. He reached for his glass of scotch. "I'll drink to that."

Laney smiled and wiped the tears from her face. She lifted her glass to her brothers'.

"To the future," she said.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Laney lounged in a chair soaking up the sun on Bobby's newly rebuilt porch. It had been three weeks since the contractors had completed the rebuild on his place. Two weeks since Dean had finished the rebuild of the Impala. One week since she'd graduated from crutches to a cane. Two days since she'd stopped bunking with Dean and gone back to her own bed. She knew she was a little old to be sleeping with her brothers, regardless of whatever comfort it gave her. But everything in her life now was about change and adapting to it. She was back on two feet again and happy for it.

"Can I get you a drink with a little umbrella?" joked Dean, walking up the back porch.

Laney chuckled. "Now that I'm down to only two days of therapy a week I've got to find other ways to occupy my time."

"So, sunbathing and reading huh – what are you reading?" he asked, grabbing the magazine from her.

"Hey, give that back," she said, reaching for the magazine.

Dean slapped her hand away, his eyebrows rising in amusement when he read the title. "Guns n' Ammo? Really?"

"I borrowed it from you," she said.

"Yeah, I know, but really?"

"Broadening my horizons," muttered Laney, slightly embarrassed.

"It's no big deal," said Dean, noticing her blushing cheeks. "I'm just surprised." And he had to mentally remind himself that being surprised by his sister was fast becoming a regular thing.

"It can't hurt to know the latest in weaponry right? Better our game and all that."

"You got that right," said Dean, with a laugh. He'd given her that same line when she'd teased him about his reading material in the past.

She shrugged. "I've pretty much re-read Bobby's entire library anyway."

Dean was about to ask her about how her memory was working, but decided against it. He didn't want to ruin the moment. He handed the magazine back to her with a smile.

"I'm glad you're getting some sun."

Laney looked down at her mostly clothed body. "Sort of anyway."

Dean decided not to touch that one either. He'd noticed that she had become very self-conscious, always covering herself from head to toe regardless of the weather. He knew it was because of the scars from the accident and the torture that Meg had inflicted on her. On top of all the self-consciousness that came with being a 17 year old girl, it had to be extra tough for her. He was hoping she'd loosen up around them. They were family and she had no need to be worried about what they would think. Hell, he and Sam had more scars than they could count.

"Hey, you want to go for a ride?" he asked, abruptly.

Laney looked up in surprise. "Where to?"

"Nowhere in particular – just thought it's a nice day for a drive."

Laney looked thoughtful for a moment. "What about Sam?"

"Nope, just you and me. He's helping Bobby with a case."

"You and me, huh? Just like old times. Sounds good to me," she said with a bright smile.

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"This was a great idea," said Laney, sighing happily.

"Of course it was. It was my idea wasn't it?" Dean smirked.

Laney playfully smacked his arm and took a lick of her ice cream cone. They had spent the better part of the day, just the two of them on a ride through the Dakota countryside with nothing but the rumble of the Impala and a steady stream of classic rock blaring from the radio. Now they'd stopped at a deserted lakeside rest stop with some ice cream and a couple of cold drinks.

Laney was in heaven. But could it last?

"What's wrong?" asked Dean, noticing the change in his sister's demeanor.

Laney frowned. It could be so annoying, the way her brother was able to pick up on the slightest changes in her mood.

"Nothing," she answered finally.

"Come on shrimp, you can tell me," Dean prodded.

She sighed. _Why fight a losing battle?_

"It's just, you know these last few weeks have been so – so great – and I guess – it's kind of like I'm just waiting …"

"For the other shoe to drop," finished Dean.

Laney nodded her head. "Yeah, you too?"

"It's crossed my mind a few times."

"I have this feeling."

Dean gave her a concerned look. Between her and Sam's "feelings" he was going to lose all his hair before he turned 30.

"What feeling?" asked Dean, slowly.

"Nothing in particular," she insisted. "I just know this little bit of peace we're having is not going to last and I wonder…" she trailed off.

"Wonder what?"

"If our lives are always going to be like this. This constant up and down, averting one disaster after another, I mean, how much can we take and still come out in one piece?"

"As much as we have to," answered Dean, seriously and without hesitation.

Laney looked at her brother and nothing in his expression said anything else other than that he was willing to do anything to keep his family together. And it brought her immeasurable comfort.

She nodded and licked at her melting ice cream.

"What brought this on?" he asked, curiously.

"I guess I've had too much time on my hands to think."

"Well, that's dangerous," said Dean.

"Funny," she said, slapping his knee. "Anyway, I was thinking about what Callie's spirit said to me, before she ascended to Heaven or went off into the light or whatever."

Dean swallowed hard. He'd been thinking about it too. He and Sam had discussed it at length recently.

"That whole, 'beware of the darkness that surrounds you' deal. Do you think she knew something?"

Dean shook his head. "I don't know and it doesn't matter."

"What do you mean it doesn't matter?" she scoffed.

"You are always going to be my pain in the ass little sister, nothing more, nothing less," said Dean, wrapping an arm around her. "So what do you say we only worry about things as they come?"

Laney took a deep breath and leaned her head on her brother's shoulder. "Yeah, I think I can deal with that."

"Good girl," said Dean.

Laney smiled and finished off her cone.

"Beautiful sunset," said Laney.

"Sure is," agreed Dean, staring at the multicolored sky.

"You know all those colors are a sign."

"Sign of what?" asked Dean.

"A storm is coming," she answered, matter of factly.

"Really?" smiled Dean, enjoying the sign of his know-it-all sister.

"Yup."

"Huh…well l guess we'd better enjoy the calm then."

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"Where have you guys been, I was getting worried?"

"I didn't realize I had a curfew little brother," smirked Dean.

"Sorry Sammy," said Laney, giving him an apologetic hug and her best puppy dog eyes. Even though she knew no one had the corner on the puppy dog eyes like he did. "We brought dinner."

Sam patted her back. "It's not a big deal."

"You could have called if you were that worried," said Dean.

"I did."

"I didn't get a call," said Dean, pulling out his cell phone. "Look, no missed calls or messages."

"Maybe we hit a dead spot," said Laney. "We did kind of go out of the way."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Where did you guys go?"

"Took the Impala out for a long distance test drive," said Dean.

"How'd that go?"

"It was fun," said Laney. "Wished you could have come."

"Me too," said Sam, smiling at his sister's good mood.

"Any progress on the case?" asked Dean

Laney walked into the new kitchen, grabbed plates and utensils and carried them out to the new dining room table. It was a big, solid oak table, identical to the one lost in the fire. Laney had searched far and wide for it, because she knew that it had been Bobby's deceased wife's favorite piece of furniture in the whole house. The glistening in Bobby's eyes when he saw it had made the search and the expense worth it.

"Thanks baby," said Sam, grabbing a plate, and opening up one of several containers of Chinese takeout.

"Don't mention it," she said with a smile, sitting down and taking a bite of an egg roll.

"So what's Bobby up to then if the case hit a dead end?" Dean asked his brother.

"You guys hit a dead end?" asked Laney.

Sam nodded. "Yeah, we did a full EMF sweep and didn't get a beep, so whatever it was is either long gone or not at all what we thought."

Laney nodded thoughtfully. Bobby had gotten a lead about a spirit haunting the residents of an Indian reservation a few counties away. Apparently the spirit had gone from causing general, but harmless mayhem, to increasingly violent attacks until a young couple had been killed.

"You know, if you take me out there I could see if I pick up on anything," offered Laney, nonchalantly.

Sam exchanged a look with his big brother.

"I don't think so," said Dean, with a frown.

"Why not?" asked Laney

"That little pout of yours isn't going to work little sister," said Dean.

"You didn't answer me though. I mean, this is the kind of stuff I'll be doing soon anyway right?"

"You're not 100% yet."

"It's not a hunt Dean, just some recon."

Dean and Sam exchanged another look.

Dean sighed. "I'll think about it, okay. I'll read up on the case and what they've got first and then we'll see."

Laney bit her lip. She thought of begging a little more. But she knew that part of being a hunter meant that she was going to be taking orders from the more experienced hunters. And that was Dean and Sam and Bobby and just about every other hunter out there, she thought.

"Okay," she said finally, with a dramatic sigh.

They finished dinner without any further discussion about hunting. Instead Laney and Sam discussed current news events and researching methods while Dean rolled his eyes and made rude jokes about bodily functions. Pretty much business as usual.

Laney rounded up the dirty plates when they were finished and began rinsing them to load in the brand spanking new dishwasher. She had insisted on the upgrade and Dean had to admit it was pretty cool and it was really helpful when it was his night for dishes.

"I'll do that," said Sam.

"It's my night," she said.

"I know, but you've got therapy tomorrow and you should get some rest. It's late."

Laney smiled and stood up on her tiptoes to place a kiss on his cheek. "I knew there was a reason why you're my favorite brother."

Dean playfully ruffled her hair. "I thought I was your favorite brother."

"That was earlier when you bought me ice cream," she said with a laugh.

Dean laughed and kissed the top of her head. "Goodnight kiddo."

"Goodnight, love you."

Laney turned around, using her cane for support, but thrilled at how much easier walking had become. There was a sudden boom of thunder that made her jump.

She looked back at Dean with a sparkle in her eyes. "Ha, I told you a storm was coming."

"Yeah, yeah smarty pants," he said, with a roll of his eyes, "Get up to bed."

"Yes sir," she said with a mock salute. She walked up the stairs to the sounds of Sam's laughter.

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Thunder, lightning, heavy winds, and rains raged shortly after Laney had gone to bed. She'd been tossing and turning, constantly awakened by the booms of thunder. Rain, she'd always found comforting, and the occasional thunderstorm never bothered her, but this one was a violent one. After being startled awake one times too many, she gave up and headed downstairs.

Sam and Dean were both wide awake in the living room. Dean was watching some movie on the television, while Sam was absorbed in some ancient looking text from Bobby's library.

"Hey baby, can't sleep?" asked Sam, glancing up from his book.

"Not with all this racket," she said.

"Come sit with me," said Dean, sitting up and making room on the couch for his sister. He grabbed her cane and set it off to the side.

Laney laid down on the couch, putting her head in her brother's lap. He began stroking her hair. She immediately felt comforted and drowsy.

"Whatcha' watching?" she asked, with a yawn.

"The Blob," answered Dean.

"50's or 80's version?"

"The original of course," snorted Dean.

Laney yawned again, loudly.

"Try to go to sleep," he said, as he began rubbing circles on her back.

Laney sighed contentedly, "Yeah, okay."

Dean exchanged an amused look with his brother when less than two minutes later their sister was softly snoring.

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One minute Laney was snoozing soundly, cuddled next to her big brother, the next she felt like a piece of laundry being tossed around in a dryer.

She heard the urgent voice of her big brother. "Laney, wake up, come on, kiddo."

She sat up, grabbing her head at the sudden head rush. "What the hell?"

"Sorry shrimp but we've gotta get down to the basement," said Dean.

Laney eyes widened. "What's wrong?"

"Tornado warning."

Laney sucked in a breath. They'd spent more than a few summer nights at Bobby's place over the years and tornado watches and warnings were not that unusual, but it was still nothing she'd ever gotten used to. She felt the last vestiges of sleep disappear, suddenly wide awake and alert. "Okay."

"Sorry but we have to make this fast," said Dean, scooping her up in his arms and making his way to the basement. "Sam, grab the flashlight."

"Got it," said Sam. And no sooner did he grab the flashlight then the electricity when out.

Laney clutched her brother's neck tighter, eliciting a tight smile from him. It reminded him so much of a much younger Laney.

"Careful Sammy," said Laney.

Brilliant bolts of lightning flashed, lighting up the room almost as bright as day, followed by successive and loud booms of thunder crashing so violently that they shook the entire house. Laney jumped and shut her eyes, tucking her head under Dean's chin.

"It's okay," he soothed.

Laney nodded, but didn't look up.

They quickened their pace to the basement, Sam jumping when another boom of thunder reverberated around the house. They quickly made their way into the basement. Dean handed his sister off to Sam and shut the door behind them.

He grabbed some camping lights that were kept in the basement for such emergencies and turned them on. They illuminated the room in a soft light. And only then did Laney open her eyes. Sam set his sister down on one the old couches that decorated the basement, which really was a second office slash library slash supernatural storage locker. But it would keep them safe from the storm.

"You okay there kid?" asked Dean, noticing how spooked his sister looked.

"Yeah, I'm good," she said, hoping her voice didn't sound as shaky as it felt. She didn't understand why she was so freaked. It was never fun, but it had never turned her into such a baby before. Dean had always made it fun, making up games and bringing tons of snacks to keep her occupied and in good spirits. But there was something different about this one. It set her teeth on edge. It terrified her.

Dean frowned and took a seat next to his sister, pulling her to him. "It's just a crazy summer storm, no biggie."

"I know," she said, leaning into him. "It's been a long time. I guess I forgot how violent these things get."

"You sure that's all?" asked Sam.

Dean narrowed an eye at his brother. Was he picking up on something he didn't?

"Yeah, yeah," she assured. "You know we just got Bobby's kitchen rebuilt, I'd hate to see a tornado come through and wreck it all."

Dean snorted. "Yeah, wouldn't that be a bitch?"

Sam reached for a battery powered radio and turned it on but couldn't get a fix on a radio station.

"Too much interference from the storm," he said, frowning.

"Well I say we have a good old fashioned Winchester camp-out," said Dean. "Might as well stay down here until the whole storm passes."

Dean stood up and walked over to one of the storage cabinets. "I'm sure some of our old board games are still down here."

Laney smiled. "Candy Land again?"

Sam laughed.

Dean threw his sister a mock glare. "Don't hate on the Candy Land, it's a classic."

"It's for 5 year olds Dean," said Laney.

"Well mentally, that sounds about right," said Sam.

Laney laughed.

"Cute Sammy. Maybe I should break out the paper dolls. If I remember correctly you had a thing for them. Always made me wonder," joked Dean.

Sam grabbed a couch cushion and threw it at his brother.

Laney was about to join in when she heard a different and loud noise over the roar of the storm outside. "What is that?" she asked, standing up and looking up at the basement ceiling.

Dean and Sam stopped what they were doing to listen.

"What is that?" Laney asked again, limping over to Dean and grabbing his arm.

Dean put an arm around her. "Hail."

"Oh no," said Laney. She knew it meant a tornado might be close by. The howling of the wind only increased her suspicion. The storm had ratcheted up in intensity.

Sam started tinkering with the radio again to see if he could get a station to come in, to no avail. And just then the sound of tornado sirens wailed in the distance.

Laney paled.

"Shit," said Dean, abruptly pulling away from his sister.

"What's wrong?" asked Laney and Sam, simultaneously.

"The Impala," said Dean, heading for the stairs.

"Dean where are you going?" demanded Laney.

"I've got to move the Impala to the garage," he said, rushing for the basement door. "The hail – all the work I did."

"Dean you can't go out there," said Sam, running up the stairs after his brother.

Laney limped to the foot of the stairs. "Sam's right, it's too dangerous, the sirens are on, there's a tornado out there somewhere. Are you crazy?!"

"I just fixed the car. I'm not going to have it ruined by a stupid freaking hailstorm."

"If a tornado comes and sweeps it away, what difference does it make!" yelled Laney, desperately now.

Dean hesitated a moment but reached for the doorknob anyway.

Sam made his way up the stairs after his brother.

"Dean, please don't go out there," begged Laney. "It's just a car."

Even from the distance separating them, Laney could see her brother's jaw set hard. The Impala was so much more to him. To all of them. But it wasn't worth risking a life over.

"I have to. I just got it back," said Dean.

Laney shut her eyes and retreated into the basement, backing up to a wall and sliding down it until she was sitting. Her legs felt weak and shaky. She wasn't about to watch her brother walk out into a tornado.

Sam grabbed his brother's arm and pulled him back, slamming the basement door shut. "I'm not going to let you do something stupid."

"Dammit, let me go Sam. It'll take me two minutes."

"And a tornado could be on top of us right now!" shouted Sam.

Dean struggled against his brother and they fumbled on the narrow stairs for several seconds before he abruptly stopped.

"Crap," he said harshly.

Sam followed his brother's gaze into open area of the basement. "Crap," echoed Sam.

Laney's tiny figure was huddled in a far corner, her arms wrapped around her legs and her head buried in her knees. She was whispering something they couldn't make out and rocking slightly.

Dean quickly hurried down the stairs. He knelt down next to her and could finally make out what she was saying.

"I can't lose him too. I can't lose him too," she whispered.

Dean silently cursed himself. He motioned for his brother to hand him a blanket from the couch, which he placed around his sister.

"Shhhh, Laney, its okay. I'm here."

Laney shook her head.

"Come on kiddo, look at me."

Laney finally looked up.

"I'm sorry," he said. "That was stupid."

"I can't lose anyone else," she said, brokenly, tears streaming down her face. "I just can't."

"Shhh, I'm not going anywhere baby," he said. He pulled his shaking sister into his arms and held her tight. "Neither of us is going anywhere."

Laney threw her arms around her brother and clutched him tightly. She buried her face in his chest and cried herself out. She was embarrassed by her weakness. She hated crying. She hated it. But lately, she was scared all the time. Scared of losing the last things left in her life worth living for.

"You okay?" he asked, after several minutes had gone by.

She nodded and sniffed. "I'm good."

"Come on," he said, helping her up and getting her to the couch. "Try and get some sleep."

She nodded and laid her head down in Dean's lap. Sam sat down and pulled her legs onto his lap. She settled against them and counted her blessings for having these two wonderful men in her life. She fell asleep warm and comforted and loved.

Outside, the storm raged on.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Thanks for the continued support! I have been working on a special Christmas one-shot that I am furiously trying to finish tonight. I hope to post it Christmas Day. Be on the lookout!**

Chapter 10

The next morning Laney woke up to Led Zeppelin playing on the radio. She was surprised to find herself on the couch alone. She didn't remember even falling asleep. She sat up quickly and saw that her brothers hadn't strayed far. Sam was stretched out on an old cot that Bobby kept in the basement for those late nights of researching and Dean was on a sleeping bag right next to her on the floor, snoring – loudly. She smiled. She could hear the gentle fall of a light rain outside, but other than that it was quiet and there was still a roof over their heads. So they'd successfully weathered the storm it seemed.

She quietly made her way up the basement stairs, deciding to check things out. She was relieved to see that the inside of the house look completely untouched.

Grabbing her cane and slipping on a pair of shoes she walked out through the kitchen and onto the back porch to survey the scene.

"Geez, what a mess," she said, with a whistle. Trash and yard debris was scattered everywhere. And even though Bobby ran a salvage yard, which pretty much entailed trash and various types of debris and scraps everywhere, this was on a much bigger scale. It seemed as if the storm had blown debris in from every surrounding county right into Bobby's yard. But it was just a superficial mess. Any tornadoes spawned in the night had missed them, and for that she was eternally grateful.

Laney headed around towards the side of the house with baited breath, afraid she'd find the Impala in shambles and worried about what that would do to her brother.

She practically melted with relief when it came into sight. The car was in one piece. Upon closer inspection there were a few dings in the hood and a couple scratches on the passenger door, but nothing a couple of hours of repairs and some TLC wouldn't take care of.

She ran her hands along the edges of the hood. Last night her brother had been on the verge of risking his life for the sake of this car. And even though it had freaked her out, in some ways she understood. The car was the absolute constant in their lives and one of the few ties to their father that they had left.

"You mind not giving me a heart attack."

Laney jumped, totally startled. "Dean." She hadn't heard him approach.

"Hell of a wakeup call," he said.

"Sorry, I know you didn't get much sleep. Didn't want to wake you."

She noticed Dean was studying the car.

"Just a few dings," she said.

He walked closer and inspected the body. "Not too bad," he said, relief lacing his voice. "I expected a lot worse."

"I'm sure, especially considering the mess out here."

"No kidding," muttered Dean, distantly. He was making mental notes of the time and costs required for the repair of the Impala.

Laney stood by feeling suddenly awkward. She'd had a monumental meltdown the night before. The kind she knew he absolutely hated.

Dean looked up at her after a few moments, noting her discomfort.

He cleared his throat. "So about last night."

"It's okay Dean, we don't have to talk about it," said Laney.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "You sure? This is my first and final offer."

Laney laughed. "I'm sure. We're good."

"Good," he said, putting an arm around her and ruffling her hair. "I was thinking though, that you should skip out on therapy today."

Laney blinked in surprise. "What? Why?"

"Well I don't know about you, but I'm pretty beat. And I'll bet the roads into the city are a mess."

Laney frowned. Except for the day she'd run off to the roadhouse, she hadn't missed a single therapy session. And with all the progress she'd been making, she wasn't thrilled about missing one now.

"I know what a stickler you are for this things, but it can't hurt to play hooky once in a while," said Dean, picking up on his sister's apprehension.

"You would know," she said with a wide grin.

Dean laughed.

"I'll skip therapy on one condition."

Her brother raised an eyebrow at her. "Okay, shoot.

"Buy me breakfast in town. I've got waffles on the brain."

Dean laughed. "Okay, but when we get back, you're going straight to bed and getting decent rest."

"Deal. I'll go get changed," she said.

"Yeah okay, wake up Sammy too will ya?"

"Afraid of the sasquatch?" joked Laney.

"Talking about me."

Laney turned around. "Sammy! Good morning," she smiled. "We're going into town, breakfast, Dean's buying."

"Sounds good," he said with a yawn.

Laney smiled knowingly when she saw Sam checking out the car. She guessed they'd all been worried about it.

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Laney got dressed quickly. She noticed she was low on clean clothes and was going to have to get some laundry done. Actually, as she thought about it, she could totally use some new clothes. She knew it was getting ridiculous wearing long sleeve shirts and pants in the middle of the hottest part of summer. She was stressed about baring her scars to the public. But she was learning that it was an adjustment she was going to have to make. She couldn't hide forever. At least, that's what her shrink kept saying.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when her phone rang on her dresser. Her head shot up in surprise. The only two people who ever called her anymore were downstairs yelling at her to hurry it up.

She grabbed the phone. _Incoming Call…Private number_

Laney answered it, intrigued; hopeful. Maybe it was Gavin.

"Hello?"

All she heard was static.

"Hello?" she repeated. "I can't hear you, you're breaking up? Who is this?"

There was a few more seconds of static and what sounded like a garbled whispering before the line went dead.

"Okay," muttered Laney, disappointed. _Must have been a wrong number._

She threw the phone on her bed, stopping suddenly when a wave of dizziness washed over her.

"Laney, hurry it up!" shouted Dean, from the bottom of the stairs.

She took a deep breath and straightened herself out. _That was weird._

"Keep your panties on, I'm coming!" she yelled, shaking it off.

She headed downstairs to her brothers.

"Was that your phone ringing?" asked Sam

"Yeah, wrong number," she said.

"Can we have this conversation in the car?" asked Dean, impatiently. "I'm starving here."

Laney and Sam rolled their eyes and smiled.

"When aren't you starving?" chuckled Sam

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Laney sat in the diner booth across from Dean and next to Sam, by a large picture window. She noticed the dark clouds gathering in the distance. Another storm was coming, she thought gloomily.

"Something wrong with your breakfast?" asked Dean, ever observant.

"I guess I didn't want waffles after all."

Sam frowned and pushed his plate towards her. "Here, you can have the rest of my omelet, I'm stuffed."

"That's okay Sammy."

"You can have my toast," said Dean.

"I said I'm okay," said Laney, in an irritated tone.

Dean exchanged a _'what the hell is the matter with her?'_ look with his brother. Sam shrugged his shoulders. An hour ago she was in a great mood, but for whatever reason it had rapidly spiraled downward. She'd turned testy and distant.

"Can we just get out of here?" she blurted suddenly.

Dean gave her a concerned look. "At the risk of getting my head bitten off, I'm going to ask you again, are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm just tired," she said, yawning loudly. And she was, suddenly very, very tired. To top it all off, she had could feel the low throb of an impending headache. _Hooray for me._

Dean nodded his head. "Alright, I'll go take care of the bill. I'll meet you two at the car."

"Sure," said Sam. "Come on kiddo." He grabbed his sister's hand and helped her out of the booth. He noted that she looked a bit pale and moved sluggishly.

When they reached the car, Laney wobbled a bit, tripping over Sam's foot. She mumbled an apology.

"You sure you're feeling alright?" he asked, unable to help himself. He may not have been the oldest brother, but he was still her big brother and he worried about her like Dean did.

Laney looked up at her brother and sighed heavily. Why bother lying. "I think I might be coming down with something. I'm not feeling so great."

Sam put a hand up to her forehead and frowned deeply. _Fever._

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Dean handed the cashier a wad of bills and waited for the change. He glanced out the diner window and noticed Sam putting his hand up their little sister's head. A little sister, whom he noticed was leaning heavily against the car door. When he noticed Sam's deep frown, he immediately took off for the door, ignoring the cashier's calls that he'd forgotten his change.

"What's wrong?" he asked gruffly, approaching his siblings.

Laney rolled her eyes.

"She's not feeling well. Has a little fever," said Sam.

"Why didn't you say something earlier?" asked Dean.

"Because I felt fine until we got here, okay?" said Laney, irritated.

Dean put a hand to her forehead. It was very warm. "What's wrong? Headache? Stomach? Sore throat?"

"I'm just super tired and I'm getting a headache."

Dean exchanged a concerned look with his brother. _Terrific._ Just what they needed.

He sighed. "Well, we'll stop off at the drugstore and stock up on some meds. Maybe we can beat whatever it is before you get full blown sick."

Laney nodded. She sure hoped so. "Yeah, okay."

Sam guided her to the front seat so she could sit between him and Dean and they could keep a better eye on her. She snuggled into Sam's side – eliciting a smile and an arm around her – and quickly dropped off to sleep.

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"102.2," said Dean, grabbing the thermometer from his sister. "That's not too bad." He set the thermometer down on the nightstand next to her bed and placed it along with his arsenal of medications on the counter; everything from Nyquil to Theraflu to cough drops and Vitamin C tablets. He figured he had all his bases covered.

Sam handed his brother a glass of water and a couple of Tylenol. "This should take care of it," he said.

Dean handed the pills and water to his sister. "Take these, sweetheart."

Laney gave him a sleepy smile and complied. Even though sometimes she bitched about it, she really did love when they took care of her.

Dean brushed her hair out of her face. "You'll feel better in no time."

Laney nodded and scooted down further under the covers. The intensity of her headache was growing and she was so exhausted that she felt boneless. But with her brothers next to her she also felt warm and contented.

"Looks like rain again," she said with a yawn.

"Yeah," said Dean. The news reports said they were in for another round of severe storms. "Sammy and I are going to make sure everything is secure outside in case it gets bad again. So your phone is right here on the nightstand. Call if you need anything okay? We'll be right outside."

Laney nodded. Her eyes were sliding closed already.

Sam tucked the covers in around her and placed a kiss on her forehead. "Sweet dreams kiddo."

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"I hope it's nothing serious," said Sam.

"Nah, I'm sure it's just a 24 hour bug or something," said Dean, throwing debris into a yard bag.

"Hope so," said Sam.

"What's wrong?" asked Dean, picking up on his brother's sullen mood.

"I'm worried about her. The doctors said that having her spleen removed makes it harder for her to fight off infections."

"I know, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. We'll give the meds a chance to work," said Dean. He wasn't about to admit that he'd been thinking the same thing and he was just as freaked out. But unlike Sam, he liked to keep those things to himself and not talk everything to death.

"Yeah okay," said Sam. Let's just finish this up and get back inside."

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"She's still asleep," said Sam, coming down the stairs from checking on his sister.

"Fever?" asked Dean

"Holding steady. I don't think the Tylenol helped."

Dean glanced at his watch. It had been an hour. The medication should have taken effect already.

"Should I wake her? Give her some ibuprofen?" asked Sam

Dean sighed. "Let's give the Tylenol a little bit longer then we'll give her something more if there's no change."

Sam nodded.

"Bobby called when you were upstairs. He's still having trouble with his case. He said everything suddenly got quiet the night before last. Tons of paranormal activity everyday for the last year and then like the snap of a finger, it just stopped."

Sam frowned. "That's weird."

"No kidding. So I've been checking out Dad's journal."

Sam swallowed thickly. It was the first time since their father died that he had seen Dean look at the journal. Seemed like progress to him.

"Anything?" he asked, nonchalantly.

"Yeah, and it's not good. Seems like whenever something like that happens, it's because something bigger and more badass has popped into town."

Sam looked thoughtful. "Hmm…maybe we should head out that way and see if we can help."

"I thought the same thing, but with Laney getting sick, you know, I don't want to leave her and she definitely can't come with us."

"Of course not," said Sam. "Bobby shouldn't be going solo on this one though. Maybe just one of us can go out there."

Dean gave him a look as if that was the most ridiculous thing he'd heard in a long time. No way was he going to let his brother hunt without him. "I've got it covered little brother. Dale Cross is on his way out there now."

Sam nodded and plopped down on the couch, dejectedly.

"Aw, admit it Sammy, you're itching for a good hunt."

"No, it's just…"

Dean gave him a knowing look.

"Okay, yeah. I guess so."

"Ha!" said Dean, triumphantly. "Well, don't feel bad. I'm in the same boat."

Sam chuckled lightly. "We'll be back on the road soon enough. Then we'll be wishing we were sitting around with nothing to do again."

Dean smiled. "You're probably right. So let's enjoy the downtime while we can."

Thunder rumbled in the distance.

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Laney's headache permeated her sleep. There was no escape and her dreams came fast and furious providing her no real respite.

She awoke with a start, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up. A brilliant flash of lightning lit up her room. Thunder cracked loudly and made her jump.

 _Not another storm._

She was reaching for her phone to call one of her brothers, when she heard footsteps coming up the stairs.

"Hey baby, storm wake you up?" asked Sam

She barely had the energy to nod.

"How you feeling?"

"S'me."

Sam concern level shot up at the sound of her slurred speech.

Lightning flashed again followed by another crack of thunder. She winced.

"You want to come downstairs? We'll set you up on the couch, like when you were little."

Laney managed a faint smile. She nodded.

She attempted to sit up, but felt like she was glued to the bed.

"Here, I got ya'," said Sam, lifting her up from the bed.

She didn't feel any warmer than she had earlier, but she also didn't feel any cooler. The medicine should have done something.

She snuggled up against his chest. He carried her downstairs.

"I come bearing gifts," Sam said to his brother, who was sitting at the dining room table, cleaning his guns, for what had to be the millionth time that week. Man, they were seriously bored.

Dean immediately stood up. Although there was humor in his brother's voice, it did not reach his eyes. He was worried.

He grabbed some blankets from the hall closet and arranged them on the couch. Sam laid her down and covered her up.

Dean loomed over her. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired," she said, just above a whisper. "M' head hurts."

He nodded and touched her forehead. No change.

"I'm going to get you some Gatorade and something for the headache okay? I'll be right back."

"K'," she said.

Dean nodded his head towards the kitchen in a gesture for Sam to follow.

"Dean, something is wrong, maybe we should take her to the hospital," said Sam. "She's so lethargic."

Dean rubbed his hands through his hair. He glanced out the kitchen window. The storm was really going strong now.

"We'll try the meds and if doesn't change anything we'll take her in."

Sam nodded reluctantly. "Yeah, okay."

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An hour later, the storm raged on.

Laney was asleep on the couch, her head in Sam's lap. His hand was on her face, pretty much where it had been parked since she'd gone to sleep; his way of keeping an eye on her fever and comforting her. She hadn't moved an inch and her temperature had not changed. God, how he hated his sister being sick or hurt in anyway. He always felt so helpless.

Dean was sitting in the recliner, cracking the occasional joke about the B rated horror movie they'd been watching, but watching his siblings out of the corner of his eye.

Laney slept a disturbed slumber. She was vaguely aware of the voices of her brothers in the distance and the low sounds of the television. Occasionally a loud boom of thunder would bring her back to near consciousness, before she would slip away again. Her headache was getting worse.

A painful wave shot through her head and she curled in on herself.

Sam stiffened when he felt his sister's distress. She was curled up now, in a near fetal position, her head buried against his stomach. He glanced worriedly at Dean.

"I'm going to check her temp," said Sam. He grabbed the thermometer and pulled his sister's face toward him and stuck it in her mouth. The fact that she didn't stir at all freaked him out.

The thermometer beeped. "103.5," murmured Sam, checking the readout.

Bad weather or not, a trip to the hospital was in order. "Alright," said Dean, "That's enough, let's get her to the ER."

Sam sighed in relief. _Finally._ He gathered her up, blankets and all.

Sam loaded her up in the backseat of the Impala and slid in beside her. Laney moaned and curled into her brother.

"Make it fast," said Sam.

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Dean had decided to bring her into the city, to the hospital affiliated with Laney's rehab facility. On top of being the most state of the art hospital in the state; they already had his sister's medical history on hand.

Unfortunately, what normally was a one hour trip was becoming a test of his patience. The weather had made the roads treacherous. A washed out bridge and downed power lines had them an hour into the trip but only halfway to their destination.

"How's she doing?" Dean asked again, as he had pretty much every ten minutes.

"Fever is still up," said Sam.

Dean eyed his brother closely through the rearview mirror. He saw the concern and fear etched on his face and knew it mirrored his own.

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Laney was vaguely aware of movement, a familiar rocking motion and a rumbling. _The Impala?_

She tried to dig her way out of sleep, but failed. Her dreams were growing more intense and vivid, yet mostly nonsense. Bits of songs, mixed with clips from television shows and movies she'd seen growing up, and the text of one of her computer books, random bits of chants and incantations. It was a mixed bag and the more she tried to make sense of it, the more intense her headache got. She walked through rooms in her dream at a furious pace, like a rat in a maze, searching for something, but not sure what.

She ran into a room and stumbled to a stop.

 _"_ _Dad?"_

 _"_ _Delaney. I'm so disappointed in you."_

 _Laney's lip quivered. "What did I do?"_

 _"_ _You should be trying to save your brother."_

 _"_ _Sammy?"_

 _"_ _You have to save him or you have to kill him."_

 _"_ _Why Dad? Why do I have to kill him?"_

 _"_ _He's evil."_

 _"_ _He's right, honey."_

 _Laney's head whipped around. "Mom?"_

 _"_ _Yes sweetie."_

 _"_ _What are you doing here?"_

 _"_ _Your father is right. You have to save him or kill him. It's up to you. You have to fight them."_

 _"_ _Them? Who?"_

 _"_ _They are trying to stop you from seeing."_

 _"_ _What do you mean Mom?"_

 _"_ _You have to look harder."_

 _"_ _I don't understand."_

 _"_ _Forgive me Delaney," said John._

 _"_ _For what?"_

 _"_ _I was wrong, Delaney. It's all about you. In the end it's all about you."_

Her parents evaporated into thin air; the room melting around her. _"_ _No, no, come back. What do you mean?"_

Laney sunk further into her mind, a ball of tears and uncertainty.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I hope everyone had a great holiday! This chapter is pretty short, but I hope you enjoy. I am still working on the Christmas one-shot. It's turned into almost 12,000 words, so it's taking me longer to finish and polish. My goal is to have it published before New Years.**

Chapter 11

Two hours and thirty-four minutes.

That's how long it took them to arrive at the hospital. Laney's fever had continued climbing steadily to the point she'd started mumbling incoherently. She was in some kind of state of delirium. Dean cursed every God and deity known to man when she'd started crying and curling up in pain.

"We don't know why her fever isn't responding to the medications," said the ER doctor.

"What's wrong with her?" asked Sam, clinging to his sister's hand, afraid to let go.

The doctor scratched his head. "Honestly, we've run every test we can, and everything checks out normal."

"Does she look normal doc?" asked Dean, angrily.

"I understand that she has a fever and a severe headache. What I'm saying is that her blood work isn't showing anything abnormal. I know she had her spleen removed, but I'm not seeing any sign of infection. So that's good news. My guess here is that it's a virus and it has to run its course. We'll give her some pain meds to see if it helps and keep her cool as possible. Her fever isn't dangerously high, but considering her medical history, we're going to admit her for observation and start some strong anti-viral medications."

Dean ran his hands through his hair. _Never any answers._

"Thanks," said Sam.

"Sure," said the doctor, making a hasty retreat before he got his head chewed off again.

Dean sat down on the bedside stool and grabbed his sister's warm hand. He caressed her forehead with his thumb in a gesture of comfort.

"Sammy, what did she ever do to deserve any of this?"

Sam looked at his brother who staring at Laney, his eyes slightly glazed. Sam knew it was a rhetorical question, so he didn't bothering answering it.

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An hour later Laney was settled in yet another hospital room. It was becoming an all too familiar scene to the Winchesters. One hurdle after another and Dean seriously thought that this time he would lose his mind. If they knew what they were up against it wouldn't be so bad. But everyone was clueless and it made the whole ordeal worse than torture.

Sam ran his hands through his sister's hair to try and settle her. She'd been moaning, mumbling, and grabbing her head in pain. None of the meds were doing a damn thing. Her temp still hovered around 103 degrees.

"S'mmy? Laney mumbled, breathlessly.

"I'm right here baby," said Sam. "I'm right here. Try and get some sleep. You're okay." He gripped her hand tightly and leaned over to kiss her forehead.

"D'n?" she mumbled.

Dean grabbed her other hand and squeezed. "Right here kiddo. Just relax, we're not going anywhere."

Laney whimpered and curled into herself. Dean hoped that she had heard him.

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The nightmares were worsening. Violent images that Laney had no idea where they were coming from. Nothing that she remembered, possibly things she'd read about come to life. It was one long horror movie that never ended, where she was trapped in a maze, looking for escape.

 _"_ _Laney, I'm sorry."_

 _"_ _Gavin?"_

 _"_ _You let them keep me away."_

 _"_ _What do you mean?"_

 _"_ _You have to look harder to see. You're the only one who can stop them."_

 _"_ _I don't understand. Who are they?"_

 _"_ _They will kill you."_

 _"_ _Why? Why do they want to kill me?"_

 _"_ _Because you will kill them."_

 _"_ _I don't understand," Laney sobbed._

 _"_ _I'm disappointed in you."_

 _Laney wheeled around. "Pamela?"_

 _"_ _I'm disappointed in you. All that talent. You have such a gift and you've wasted it. You don't even try."_

 _"_ _I don't know what to do. I don't know what they want."_

 _"_ _You must try harder to see. You must open your mind."_

 _"_ _Please I need your help," cried Laney._

 _"_ _No one can help you. You must help yourself. It's up to you."_

 _"_ _I don't know what to do," Laney cried._

 _"_ _It's up to you."_

 _Laney looked up and found herself surrounded by her mother, father, Pamela and Gavin. "It's up to you!" They shouted at her again and again. "It's up to you!"_

 _"_ _Stop!" shouted Laney, "Stop! Leave me alone!"_

 _Laney began running._

 _"_ _No one can help you. You are weak."_

 _Laney stopped in her tracks and wheeled around. It was someone she'd never seen before. A young woman, dressed in black, carrying an ancient looking relic._

 _"_ _Who are you?" asked Laney_

 _"_ _Who do you want me to be?"_

 _"_ _Enough with the riddles!" shouted Laney_

 _"_ _You are blind."_

 _Laney sunk down to floors, hands covering her face. What couldn't she see? How could she look harder?_

 _Think Laney, think._

 _Her gifts? This had to have something to do with her abilities. She dug deep, opened her mind, and peeled away the layers of fog, struggling against some unseen force, until she abruptly felt a tremendous release, like a balloon being cut from its tether. And she could see. She could see the woman's real face. She suddenly knew._

 _"_ _I am not weak!" shouted Laney. The woman looked at her, a startled expression on her face, when Laney began speaking fervently in a low almost musical tone._

 _"_ _No you cannot!" she screeched._

 _Laney paused briefly before looking directly at the woman and smiling. "Yes, I can."_

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"Do you hear that? What is that?" asked Sam, standing up from his seat.

"Laney," said Dean.

He bent his head down to his sister's mouth. She was saying something, just barely above a whisper. It had a rhythm, almost like a song.

"What's she saying Sammy? Sounds like gibberish to me."

Sam leaned in closer to listen and squinted, blinking in surprise. "It's some kind of ancient chant."

Dean looked at his brother, confusion marring his tired face. "For what?"

Sam shook his head and leaned in closer. "Oh shit."

"What?"

"It's a spell breaker."

"A spell breaker?" asked Dean. Then realization dawned on him. "She's under some kind of spell. That's why the meds aren't working. It's not medical. It's mystical."

Sam nodded affirmation and spoke into his sister's ear. "Come on Laney, you can do it."

Dean held her hand and watched her closely. The chant was coming more quickly and fervently. Her face was drenched with sweat, her cheeks bright red. "You've got this kid, make me proud," he whispered. "We're right here with you."

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 _The woman – creature – screeched at Laney, trying to get her to stop. But Laney felt her own power growing and she wasn't about to give up._

 _She became aware of the presence of her brothers and it buoyed her further, until she felt nearly indestructible. She finally came to the end of the chant, when the woman's eyes went wide with horror. She howled a high pitch scream before she disappeared in a cloud of smoke._

 _With the woman gone, it was like a blindfold had been lifted, and suddenly she could see. "Oh my God."_

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One second Dean and Sam were watching waiting, holding their breath at Laney's bedside, while she was locked in some unseen battle. The next second she shot up from the bed like a jack-in-the-box, wide awake, eyes open and perfectly clear.

"Laney?" Dean asked.

Laney looked to her brother and smiled.

Dean wrapped her up in his arms. "You scared the crap out of me."

Sam hugged her once his brother let go. "Ditto."

When Sam let her go, Laney quickly scrambled out of her bed.

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute, what are you doing?" demanded Dean.

"We've got to get out of here," she said, fumbling for her clothes.

"What? Wait, what happened?" Dean asked, pulling her hands towards him.

"Demons," Laney said. "They're here and they know where we are."

Sam's eyebrows shot up to his hairline. "Demons? The demon?"

"Not yellow-eyes. Other demons, we've got to hit the road."

"How do you know this?" asked Dean

"I can feel them. I can sense them. The storms, all these storms, it's them, the demons, they're gathering together."

Sam shook his head in disbelief.

"Kiddo, why didn't you feel them coming before? These storms have been going on for two days."

"Freaking dark witch," said Laney in exasperation."Put a spell on me, to keep me from sensing the demons."

"A dark witch?" asked Sam.

Dean shook his head. "Un-freaking-believable."

"It's like the whole reaper deal. The demons can't use their powers on me, so they are getting whatever allies they can to mess with my head. They didn't want me tipped off. It almost worked."

"So the chant, you broke the spell," said Sam, sounding dazed.

"You heard that?"

"Yeah," said Sam.

"What do they want?" asked Dean, breaking his silence.

"To kill me," said Laney.

Dean and Sam's breath both hitched simultaneously.

"Okay," said Dean, he wasn't going to bother with anymore questions at the moment. Nothing like something threatening the life of someone you love to kick you into action. "Okay, let's get the hell out of here then."

Laney nodded. "We can't go back to Bobby's."

"Yeah, I know," conceded Dean.

"What are we going to do?" she asked.

"Are you sure your okay?" countered Dean. "You feel okay?"

"I'm fine," insisted Laney. "I swear. Now what are we going to do?"

Dean sighed heavily and exchanged a look with his brother. "We hit the road, that's what we do."

Laney nodded, turning around and looking for clothes to change into. She had to stifle a smile. Even though it was under the worst of circumstances, she couldn't help but be happy, even excited. On the road with her brothers, running from a supernatural menace, the three of them and the Impala, crappy roadside motels, crappy diner food – life was returning to normal.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"Is she whistling?"

Sam quirked an eyebrow and smiled. "Uh, yeah, I think she is."

Dean put an ear up to the bathroom door. "Dude, she's whistling AC/DC."

He walked away with a shake of the head and a chuckle.

"Weird huh?" asked Sam

"Yeah, I'd say a little disturbing actually. You'd think she might be a little more freaked out after everything that's happened," observed Dean. _I know I am._

They'd driven nearly 24 hours straight, stopping only for gas and food, before Dean finally felt they'd put enough distance between themselves and the demons. Laney had spent that time completely calm and serene, as if she didn't have a care in the world. It was freaking disconcerting.

"Delayed reaction?" suggested Sam, with a shrug.

"Who knows, I've been trying to figure how she ticks since the accident and every time I think I've got a handle on her, she surprises me," said Dean.

"True," said Sam. Which was why he'd stopped trying to do it a while back. With a sigh, he booted up his laptop.

"What are you doing?" asked Dean.

"Killing time," answered Sam, a bit too defensively for his brother's tastes.

Dean narrowed his eyes at his brother. He would have thought Sam would know better than lie to him. He'd practically the kid too.

"Sammy, what are you up to?"

"Looking for any cases in this area," he answered, ducking his eyes below the monitor and out of Dean's line of sight.

Dean was about to protest, but it died unspoken on his lips. What else were they going to do? Might as well do what they did best while they dodged demons.

"Alright, well let me know if you find something good."

Sam looked up at his brother in surprise. Dean ignored him.

"Shower's free," said Laney, coming out of the bathroom, steam flowing around her.

"Leave any hot water princess?" asked Dean.

"Guess you'll just have to find out," she chirped.

Dean pulled some clothes out of his duffel, ready to wipe two days of grime from his weary body. He watched out of the corner of his eye as his sister limped over to the bed farthest from the door and fastened her leg brace.

"How's your leg feeling?" he asked.

"A little sore," she answered, honestly. "Don't really need the cane anymore. I can handle the limp."

"Yeah, but what did the PT guy say?" He wasn't trying to be a hard ass, but with Laney's rehabilitation cut short and knowing she would never finish it, he wanted to make sure her leg got healthy and stayed that way. He wasn't going to let her shortcut it, just because they were on the road now and she was overeager.

Laney grimaced. "I was supposed to get a new brace," she answered. "It's allows more natural range of motion. It's the last step before I don't need to wear a brace at all."

"Do you know the name and model number or whatever?"

She looked thoughtful for a moment. "I'm sure I could get it."

"Well find it and we'll order it, have it shipped overnight FedEx, okay?"

Laney smiled brightly. "Okay."

"And you have to promise that you're going to be honest about how your leg is doing. I don't want to hear any BS. If I think you're up to no good, I'll ship you back to Bobby's and you can live out of his panic room. I'm going to be on your ass about doing your exercises too, so don't think I won't."

"Me too," said Sammy, looking up from his computer, with a stern expression that just seemed so wrong on him.

Laney rolled her eyes up to the ceiling. _Brothers!_

"Yeah, I know guys, I know. Trust me I'm not going to risk messing up my leg. I never want to go through this again," she said seriously.

"That's the plan, kiddo," said Dean. He walked over to his sister and ruffled her wet hair.

She smiled at him, plopped down on the bed and grabbed the remote control, flipping it on.

"I'm going to hit the shower, find something good to watch."

"I'm too young for porn, Dean."

Dean blinked in surprise and then let out a deep laugh. He couldn't imagine loving his sister more.

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Two hours later Laney was wide awake, lying next to Dean, in their darkened motel room. She felt a little weird sharing a bed with her brother, like she was too old, but she felt comforted just the same. She had suggested buying an inflatable bed, even volunteering to sleep on it, but Dean had told her not so subtly where she could shove an inflatable bed. The declaration that _he_ would decide when she was too old to share had effectively ended the discussion. Really he just needed her within reach. There were too many things out there wanting to get to her. He couldn't risk it.

In the end Laney was happy for it, because she felt safe and comfortable and knew that anything coming after her would have to get through her two protective mama bears. She was lucky and she knew it. She just wished she could do the same for them.

"You're thinking too loud," whispered Dean.

Laney rolled over in surprise and laughed softly. "Sorry, thought you were knocked out."

"It's okay. What are you thinking about?"

"Random stuff."

"Yeah, like?"

"Like how I ended up so damn short when I have two giant brothers," she answered a smile in her voice.

"Cause you're a genetic mutant," said Dean.

"Ha-ha," said Laney.

They were silent for a few moments before Dean cleared his voice. "Tell me what happened during your little sleeping beauty re-enactment."

Laney frowned. He wasn't trying to be pushy. As a matter of fact she was shocked he'd gone as long as he had without bringing it up. She just wasn't sure she'd really figured it out yet.

She sighed. "Well, it was like one long nightmare. You know, jumbled images, just lots of garbage, random things. I think that was the spell itself you know, trying to keep me distracted from the fact my mind was being manipulated."

It was Dean's turn to frown. If he ever got his hands on that dark witch…

"How did you figure it out?" he asked.

"You sure you want to know?"

Dean gave her confused look that she could just make it out in the darkness.

"I'm asking aren't I?"

Laney took a deep breath. If he didn't like it, well, he'd asked for it. "I started seeing Mom and Dad."

Dean's breath hitched.

"I told you," she said.

"It's okay, go on."

"I saw them and later Gavin and Pamela."

"Like for real saw them?"

"No, I think they were just figments of my thoughts. I think it was just a way for my mind to help me figure things out. I'm not really sure. They said a lot of stuff."

"What did they say?"

"That I wasn't looking hard enough. That I wasn't using my gifts. That I had to save myself because they wanted to kill me. I didn't know who they were talking about. It took me a while before I figured it out and so I used my...abilities...you know...to...uh...beat the witch and break the spell. She was pretty pissed off."

"I'll bet," Dean said, with a tinge of pride in his voice.

There was another long pause in the conversation as he processed what his sister had told him.

"Are you sure there's not something more you're not telling me?" asked Dean.

Right then and there Laney was ready to confess that she knew what her father had told him before he died. But she couldn't bring herself to do it. There was enough going on and it wouldn't change how her brother felt. She knew it had to be on his mind every second of every day.

"Mom and Dad kept telling me that I'm the only one who can stop them," she answered softly.

"Who? The demons?" asked Dean, raising his head up onto one elbow.

"I don't know...I guess. But it wasn't really Mom and Dad, Dean. I know that for sure. It could have been the witch or the demons playing with my head. But yellow-eyes did say I have some purpose and that my being alive was bad for him. What if I _am_ the only one that can stop them? They _are_ trying to get rid of me."

Dean reached an arm over and pulled his sister closer to him. "You listen to me and you listen good. It doesn't matter what plans these jerk-offs have. Doesn't matter what they say about any damn thing. They aren't going to kill you. Sammy and I are never going to let that happen. The only purpose you have in life is to be our little sister and drive us crazy. That's all. So screw what they say. Do you hear me?"

Laney smiled, nodded and into his shoulder, and swallowed the lump forming her throat. "I hear you."

He hugged her tightly and kissed the top of her head.

"I love you Dean," she said.

"Right back at you kid."

They both looked up when they heard an exasperated sigh from the next bed. Sam was awake.

"Oh my God, would you two please shut up already?"

Laney and Dean both laughed long and loud. How could things not be okay?

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"I think I've got us a case."

"A case?" asked Laney, looking up from her breakfast in surprise. "You're really looking for a case?"

Dean folded up the newspaper he was reading and exchanged a look with his brother before answering.

"Yeah," he said, with a shrug. "Thought we'd get back to business."

Laney smiled and went back to eating. "Sounds good to me."

"Don't get too excited smurf. We're going to be laying out some ground rules that you probably won't like," said Dean, seriously.

"Like what?"

"I'll let you know when we've figured them out."

Laney snorted in amusement. "Yeah, okay."

Dean glared at her for a moment before looking at his brother, trying not to smile when she stuck her tongue out at him. "So what's the case?"

"Red Lodge, Montana. Coroner reports a couple of cases of severed heads. Did a further check and there happens to be a rash of cattle mutilations in the area too," said Sam.

"How do those two things possibly relate?" asked Laney.

"Good question," said Dean, his interest peaked. "Let's find out."

"Ready to head out now?" asked Sam.

"It's a whole day drive out there," he replied. "Sooner the better."

Laney finished the last bites of her breakfast before she started packing up her things. It wasn't much, she had a couple days worth of emergency clothing that was always stashed in the car.

"Uh – I'm going to need some more clothes," she said, approaching Dean.

He smiled at her. "I figured as much. Next town with a decent mall we'll get you some new clothes."

"What about my other stuff? Laptop and all that."

"You want your laptop?" Dean asked in surprise.

"Honestly, I kind of feel naked without it," she admitted.

Dean chuckled. "I'll give Bobby a call. I'll have him ship some stuff to us at the post office in Red Lodge."

Laney nodded. "Cool."

"You ready for this kiddo?" asked Dean.

"What?" asked Laney, brow furrowed.

"Life back on the road."

Laney gave her brother a look that he couldn't quite interpret. "More than you know." She slung her backpack over her shoulder and limped out the Impala, missing her brothers frowning at her back.

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A day and half later they arrived in Red Lodge, Montana. Laney had a new wardrobe; more than she had needed or really wanted. But her brothers had insisted on spoiling her, both of them telling her it wasn't often they got to splurge like that and that she deserved it. She thought it was a little overboard, but she was grateful nonetheless.

They checked into a motel on the northern edge of town. Laney shook her head at the country-western theme of the room. They had stayed in a lot of interesting places over the years, but it still never failed to surprise and amuse her.

"Sammy, I'm pretty sure you had that wallpaper pattern on a pair of pajamas when you were little," smirked Dean.

Laney laughed. "Aw, how cute, little cowboys with their lassos."

"Funny," said Sam.

He threw his duffel down on the bed farthest from the wall. Laney followed. _Guess I'll be sharing with Sasquatch this stop_.

She took a seat on the bed and flipped on the television. "So, what's the first order of business?"

"Sammy and I are going to hit up the sheriff's office and see what we can find, maybe get into the morgue and see if we can check out those severed heads."

"Awesome," she said, getting up. "I'd love to see that."

"You're staying here," said Dean.

She looked over at him with a pout, realizing then that he was salting the doors and windows.

Sam gave her a sympathetic look, but clearly he and Dean had talked about their game plan sometime earlier.

"What am I going to do here?" she asked in annoyance.

"Watch television, surf the 'net, take a nap. We won't be gone long."

"Sure there's nothing I can do to help you with the case?"

"Not yet," said Dean. He walked over and squeezed his sister's shoulder. "We need to know what we're up against first. Then we'll see what you can do."

Laney nodded. "Okay," she said softly, with an exaggerated sigh.

Sam and Dean changed into their suits for whatever role they planned to play. She smiled at how grown up they looked. Sometimes she forgot that they were grown men.

"You know the rules. Door stays locked. Not one toe out the door," said Dean.

"What if there's a fire?" asked Laney, dryly.

"Cute. You know what I mean," said Dean.

"I know, I know Dean. I think you've left me enough firepower here to fight an apocalypse single-handedly."

Dean smiled brightly. "It's not that I doubt your self-defense skills or anything."

"Yeah, yeah, just get it done and bring me back something good to eat."

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Three hours later after pacing so much she'd pretty much worn a hole in the floor, Laney finally heard the rumble of the Impala. She'd been tempted to call and check up on her brothers, but she didn't want to seem weak. If she couldn't handle a few hours alone in a motel without her brothers, how in the hell would she ever be a hunter? She knew they would always do everything they could to protect her, but she also knew how dangerous this business was. She knew she had to learn to be self-reliant.

When her brothers walked into the room, she had to restrain herself from grabbing them and hugging the life out of them.

"About time," she said, trying to hide her relief. "I'm starving."

"Missed you too squirt," said Dean, with a knowing smirk.

"How are you?" asked Sam

"All's been quiet on the Western front," she remarked, dryly.

Sam laughed.

"Here, got you a burger and fries," said Dean, handing her a Styrofoam container.

"Thanks." She opened the container, breathing in the inviting aroma. Her stomach rumbled in response. She was hungrier than she thought. "So what's the verdict? Alien abductions? Chupacabra? Chainsaw wielding maniac?"

"Vampires," said Dean, sitting down and taking a bite of food. He'd stripped down to his undershirt; tie and dress shirt already tossed in a bundle in the corner. He hated the damn monkey suits and thanked his lucky stars everyday he wasn't some corporate asshat who worked in an office.

"Vampires?" asked Laney, with a raised eyebrow. "Since when do they go around chopping heads off and mutilating cattle?"

"They don't. Those heads were once attached to bloodsuckers, "said Dean.

Laney shoved a few fries in her mouth and chewed thoughtfully. "So," she said. "They were killed, by someone or something that knows how to kill a vampire. Huh. Another hunter in town maybe?"

Sam smiled. His sister may have had a brain injury, but she put two and two together quickly. He felt unexpectedly filled with joy.

"Possibly," said Sam. "We're going to ask around town and see what we can find out."

"Should probably try the nearest bar," said Laney. "Small towns like this, people start talking after a couple of beers. Or so I've heard."

Dean laughed. He'd taught her well. "That's what we were thinking."

Laney pushed her food away and sighed. "When are you guys leaving?"

"After we eat, so you'd better hurry it up and get changed."

Laney's head shot up in surprise to meet two very amused faces. "You're going to let me go into a bar?"

"It's good practice for you. You still have those fake ID's?"

Laney nodded. "Yeah."

"Good."

Laney smiled widely. Maybe this would turn out to be a good night after all.

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"Stay close," said Dean.

"As if anyone is going to be able to get near me," she muttered. The second they walked in the bar they were practically shoulder to shoulder with her squished between them.

"What?" asked Dean.

"Nothing."

Dean bit back a smile and did another once over. She was dressed normally, nothing that should draw the unwelcome attention of anyone of the male persuasion. But he couldn't ignore the fact that she was a beautiful young. It was like leading a lamb to the slaughter. He glared at any one who even dared glance at her.

They walked up to the bartender.

"What can I get for ya?" he asked

"Couple of beers," said Dean. "Coke for our designated driver here," he added with a smirk in Laney's direction.

She rolled her eyes.

"So, we're looking for some people," said Sam, cutting right to the chase.

"Isn't everybody," said the bartender.

"I don't think you understand," said Sam, slipping a $50 bill onto the bar.

The bartender looked at the money a moment, before he finally picked it up and stuck it in his shirt pocket.

"Good," said Sam. "So these people we're looking for, probably moved here about six months ago, real rowdy, like to drink."

"Yeah, real night owls," added Dean. "Sleep all day, party all night type."

The bartender nodded his head. "The Barker farm got leased out a few months ago. People come in real noisy… drinkers; I've had to throw them out once or twice."

Dean exchanged a look with Sam. _Those must be our guys._

"Thanks," said Dean, taking a long swig of his beer, stepping away from the bar and pulling his sister along with him.

"I'm not finished," protested Laney. They'd barely been in the bar five minutes and she wanted to observe some more.

"Come on," he said, yanking her by the arm.

Laney sighed and followed her brothers outside. They walked around the side of the bar through the alley to get to where the Impala was parked.

Dean suddenly stopped in his tracks, made some invisible signal to Sam and pulled Laney to his side, double backing and hiding behind a pile of shipping crates.

Laney knew better than to question or say a word. Her brothers sensed danger and her job was to do whatever they told her.

Dean pulled his hunting knife from his jacket and motioned for Sam. Sam grabbed Laney and gently pushed her behind him. They watched as the figure of a man approached, following exactly in their tracks. He stopped and looked around before continuing again, walking quietly, clearly trying to hunt prey. Them.

Dean made another hand signal to Sam and gave Laney a look telling her to stay put. She nodded in understanding. The next thing she knew, they rushed the guy, throwing him up against the wall and putting a knife to his throat before he knew what hit him.

Laney shook her head, in awe at the perfect precision of her brothers' actions. It was a sight to see. She wondered wistfully if she would ever fit into their rhythm.

"Smile and show us those pearly whites," demanded Dean.

The man gave them an irritated look. "Oh come on, for the love of God. You want to stick that thing someplace else. I'm not a vampire."

Dean and Sam shifted in their stances.

"Yeah, that's right, I heard you guys in the bar."

"What do you know about vampires?" demanded Sam

"I know how to kill them. Now would you put that thing away? That knife is making me itch." The man moved slightly, and Sam increased his grip on him.

"Easy there," said the man. He put his fingers to his lip and pulled it up to the gum line. Even from where Laney was standing, she could see that he didn't have fangs.

Laney wasn't sure if she should be relieved or worried.

"See? Happy?" he asked.

Sam and Dean stood down. Laney approached from her hiding spot, earning a confused look from the man.

"Now who the hell are you guys?"

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"Sam and Dean Winchester I can't believe it. And a little sister to boot. Beautiful too."

He watched Sam put a protective arm around his sister and he took in Dean's glare. Message received. Don't mess with the littlest Winchester.

He cleared his throat. "I met your old man once," he said. "I heard about the accident. I'm sorry."

Laney felt Dean stiffen at her side.

Laney looked away, suddenly studying the streetlights as if they were the most interesting thing in the world. This Gordon Walker guy, hunter or not, kind of gave her the creeps.

Dean gave him a barely perceptible nod.

"Well you guys seem good enough to fill his shoes. Good trackers, great in a tight spot."

"You seem to know a lot about us," said Dean, suspicion lacing his words.

Laney looked back towards Gordon.

"Well word travels fast. You know how hunters talk," said Gordon.

"No, we don't," said Dean.

"Guess there's a lot your Dad never told you," said Gordon. And Laney had officially moved on from being uncertain about the guy to completely disliking him.

"So," said Sam. "Those two vampire kills were yours?"

"Yup."

"You check out that Barker farm?" asked Dean.

"Yeah, it was a bust. Bunch of hippie freaks."

"Where's the nest then?" asked Dean

Gordon shot them a cocky smile. "I've got this one covered guys. Don't get me wrong, it's been real nice meeting you all. But I've been on this thing for over a year. I'll finish it."

"We could help," offered Dean.

"Thanks, but I'm kind of a go it alone type of guy."

"Aw come on man, I've really been itching for a hunt," said Dean.

The way he said it, Laney didn't doubt him. He sounded almost desperate, pleading.

Gordon shook his head. "Sorry. But I hear there's a chupacabra two states over."

Laney scoffed. As far as she knew no one had yet to ever find a chupacabra. As far as anyone knew they really were a myth.

Gordon got into his car and leaned out the window. "It was real good meeting you guys. I'll buy you a beer on the flipside."

Dean nodded as Gordon drove away.

Laney sighed and looked at her brothers who seemed to be having one of their famous silent conversations. This couldn't be good.

"Well, I guess this one's a bust," she said, hopefully.

Dean looked at her with an expression she knew all too well.

"Or not," she muttered.

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"Let me guess," said Laney, "Stay in the car, keep the doors locked."

Dean offered a bright smile and a pat on the top of head, like she was a puppy or something.

She sighed and leaned back against the seat, crossing her arms across her chest, much like a petulant four year old.

"Be good and I'll get you some ice cream," said Dean, closing the door, before his sister could hit him with the book she'd just thrown.

"You sure this is a good idea," said Sam, following his brother into what appeared to be a saw mill.

"All my ideas are good," said Dean.

"Right," scoffed Sam.

Dean nodded his head, grinning. "Come on Sammy, it would be irresponsible of us to let Gordon hunt these things on his own."

Sam nodded. "I think you just want to kill something."

"That too," said Dean smiling and pulling his knife from his jacket.

Sam and Dean came upon the sounds of struggle coming from within the building. The quickly took up strategic positions. When they entered they found Gordon struggling with a vampire who had him against some type of machine and was dangerously close to decapitating him.

Sam managed to pull Gordon out of harm's way, while Dean attacked the vampire. Sam watched in awe and horror as his brother beat the crap out of it. The next thing he knew Dean had the vampire's head underneath the saw and sliced right through him, blood spattering his face.

Gordon gave him a look that said he was very impressed. "Well I guess I owe you that beer."

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Laney looked up from the book that she was only pretending to read, to see three figures approaching. She could tell from their silhouettes that at least two of them were her brothers and she didn't have to guess too hard who the third one was. When they walked into a better lit area, Laney gasped and jumped out of the Impala, ignoring the shot of pain up her leg as she landed hard.

"Dean! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he said.

"You have blood all over your face," she said.

"It's not mine."

"Your brother saved my ass from a vampire," said Gordon.

Laney barely spared him a glance. "Sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine. Quit fussing," he said annoyed, pushing her hand away.

Laney pulled her hand back, hurt by the tone. It seemed uncalled for. "Sorry," she muttered softly.

She limped back to the car. Sam shot his brother a look that said 'nice going asshat' and quickened his steps to catch up with his sister.

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Laney sighed and rolled her eyes in irritation. They were back at the bar again. Only she'd rather have been anywhere else this time. But Dean wouldn't take her back to the motel. He was too concerned that other vampires from the nest might track them down and he wasn't going to leave her there alone. So now she was sitting at a table while Dean and Gordon knocked back beer after beer. She felt like she needed a bucket to puke in. She couldn't take anymore of Gordon's stupid stories, rehashing his greatest hits of hunting. What made it even worse, was the way Dean was soaking it all up.

"What's the matter Sammy?" asked Gordon.

"Only they get to call me that," he said, pointing at his siblings.

Gordon put his hands up. "Sorry man."

"I guess decapitations aren't my idea of a good time."

"Aw come on man, they weren't human. You've got to have a little more fun with the job."

Dean snapped his fingers. "See that's what I keep telling him."

Sam shook his head in aggravation and gave his brother an incredulous look.

"What about you Delaney?"

"It's Laney," she corrected, as aggravated as her brother.

Gordon bit his lip and took a swig of his beer. The two younger Winchesters were a couple of tough nuts.

"Seriously," said Dean. "You two could probably learn a thing or two from this guy."

"Yeah, I'm sure I could," said Sam, not bothering to hide the sarcasm. "Look I'm not going to bring you guys down and I'm sure Laney is tired, so we're going to head back to the motel."

Laney shook her head in agreement. Finally, a voice of reason.

"Yeah," said Laney, "My leg's bothering me."

For the first time since he'd started drinking Dean really looked at her. "You sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine. Quit fussing," she snapped, using her brother's earlier words against him.

Dean glared at her but said nothing. He probably deserved that. "Here," he said pulling the Impala keys out and handing them to Sam. "Don't wait up."

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"I don't like that guy at all Sammy."

"Tell me about it."

"He gives me the creeps. There's something about him."

Sam looked away from the road to his sister. "You getting some kind of psychic thing from him?"

Laney rolled her eyes in exasperation. "No Sam, it's called intuition. You obviously don't like him either."

"Yeah, well I don't like the way Dean's hanging on his every word, like he's the second coming or something."

Laney looked out of her window at the passing scenery. "He misses Dad."

Sam reminded himself how perceptive his sister really was. She hit the nail on the head. This _was_ all about Dad.

Sam spoke quietly. "He's not the only one."

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"Well the bathtub isn't too nasty, so I'm going soak for a while," said Laney.

"Your leg really bothering you that much?"

Laney nodded. "Probably overdid it today. But a nice long soak in a hot bath should help."

Sam walked over to his duffel bag, pulled out a container and palmed a couple of ibuprofen. "Take these."

Laney smiled and took them. "Thanks, I won't be too long," she said, knowing her brother probably wanted a shower before bed.

"Take as long as you need."

Laney smiled and took her stuff into the bathroom with her. She drew a steaming hot bath that was just barely tolerable and took a slow and careful seat in it. One of the few advantages to being so damn short was that she fit into little motel bathtubs easily. Unlike Sam, who had to duck under shower heads most places and couldn't sit in a tub even if his legs were bent.

She leaned back and relaxed, the only sound the soft voices coming from the television in the room. The sooner they could kill the vamps and get the hell out of town and away from Gordon Walker, the better for all of them, especially Dean.

Laney shut her eyes and drifted off into a nice relaxed state.

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There was a soft knock at the door, bringing Laney out of her light sleep. She wondered how long she'd been in there. The water was only lukewarm now.

"You okay in there?"

"Sorry Sammy, lost track of time. I'll be out in a few."

"No worries. I'm going to grab a soda from the vending machine. You want something?"

"Nah, I'm good."

"Okay."

Laney got out of the bath and quickly dried off. She secured her leg brace, breathing a sigh of relief when she realized that the hot bath and the ibuprofen had done their job. She was feeling much better.

She pulled a brush through her hair. _Time for a trim._ She hadn't touched her hair since Dean's surprise makeover. It was looking a little rough. The color had faded and her bangs were in her eyes now. She grabbed her blow dryer figuring Sam wouldn't want wet hair in his face all night long.

She was nearly done when she thought she heard the sound of something falling in the room. She shut the dryer off and listened for a moment, but heard nothing but the sound of the television.

She shrugged her shoulders. _Must be hearing things._

Blow drying job done she gathered her dirty clothes and walked out to the room. "All yours Sammy."

But when she looked up her brother wasn't there. She narrowed her eyes. "Doesn't take that long to get a soda," she said out loud.

She peeked out the window. The Impala was still in its parking space, keys on the nightstand. She wasn't supposed to go outside, but she decided to risk it. She opened the door and looked around. The soda machine was practically just outside their door. No sign of her brother.

Laney turned back into the room and shut the door, latching all the locks. She noticed her brother's room key on the desk. When she walked over to grab it she tripped over the phone. It was lying on the floor and there was blood on it. She gasped loudly. "Oh God, Sammy."


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: So that Christmas one-shot I was planning to post has turned into a multi-chapter storyline that I've decided to roll into The Winchester Three main story. It just fits in better there. It will be a while before it gets weaved in though (probably Part 4). Sometimes I control the story, sometimes it controls me! Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

Chapter 13

Laney paced the room frantically for a few moments before telling herself to pull it together. She had to keep her head on straight if she was going to help anyone.

"Okay, okay," she said out loud. She scrambled for her cell phone and dialed Dean.

The phone went directly to voicemail. Laney nearly choked in surprise. Dean always kept his phone on. Either he was three sheets to the wind or he was in trouble, and she wasn't sure which was better.

Her mind ran through a million different scenarios all at once. Sam had been taken by someone. But she hadn't sensed anything, but then again she had no idea what she was actually capable of sensing. She didn't know if she could sense everything supernatural or just certain things, like demons and spirits. She had no freaking clue. If it was a vampire, why didn't they just kill him and why did they leave her? None of it made any sense.

She tried Dean's phone again to no avail. She left him a message and then sent him a text. _911._

There was no way she could just sit there and do nothing.

Laney reached for the car keys. She knew how to drive but didn't know how well her leg would handle it and Dean would never forgive her if she wrecked his car.

"Dammit!" she shouted out in frustration. The bar was only a few miles down the road, she could call a cab.

Laney picked up the phone – the bloodied phone – and dialed the front desk for the number to the cab company.

One very long and stressful half hour later the cab finally showed up and she was on her way.

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Dean and Gordon got back to the motel room in the wee hours of the morning. Dean was sure he would be nursing a headache in the morning. But it didn't compare to any real benders he'd been on before. It would only rate as a nuisance.

He was happy to see his Impala in one piece but very surprised to find the motel room dark and empty.

Dean frowned and took a seat at the table. "What time is it anyway? Where did those two run off to?"

"Maybe they went for a walk. They seem like the type," said Gordon.

"Sammy for sure, but if my sister's leg – "

Before Dean finished his sentence Sam was coming through the door, Laney behind him, looking pale, flustered and entirely freaked.

 _Okay, I missed something._

"Can I talk to you outside for a minute?" asked Sam, quietly.

"Sure," said Dean, following his brother into the parking lot.

"Dean, where they hell have you been? Don't you know how to answer your damn phone?" demanded Laney.

Dean looked at her in confusion and his cell phone from his pocket. He frowned when he realized it was off.

Laney had to take several deep breaths to keep from losing it. She'd gotten to the bar only to find it was closed and had arrived back at the motel, just in time to see Sam getting dropped off by some beat up pickup truck. She hadn't gotten any answers yet.

Sam took a good look at his sister, taking in her appearance. When she ran into him in the parking lot, she'd launched herself at him. She was shaking like a leaf. Apparently she hadn't been able to find help and now he knew why and he was just as pissed.

"Well, what happened?" Dean asked again.

"I was there," Sam said, "In the nest."

"The vamps got you? How did you get away? How many did you kill? Did they take you too Laney?" he asked quickly.

"No. I was taking a bath and they took Sammy and I've been trying to get a hold of you for over an hour!" she shouted.

Dean took a step back. "I'm sorry that – wait, so what were you doing out here?"

"I took a cab to the bar to try and get you, but by the time I got there you were already gone."

To his credit, Dean did look contrite. For all the good that would do to calm her down.

"Can we talk about this later?" asked Sam. "Listen Dean, they let me go."

"They what?" asked Dean and Laney, simultaneously.

"They let me go. Didn't leave a scratch on me."

"There was blood in the room," said Laney.

"I fought with them. They hit me with the phone. But they didn't touch me after that," Sam explained.

"Okay, so where's the nest?" asked Dean.

"I don't know," answered Sam.

"You've got to know something."

"We went over that bridge outside of town. But Dean, we've got to rethink this. I don't think they're like other vampires."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't think they're killing people."

"You're joking," said Dean. "How the hell to they stay alive – undead – whatever the hell they are?"

"The cattle mutilations," said Sam. "They live on animal blood."

"And you believed them?" asked Dean, incredulously.

"Look at me Dean. Not a scratch on me."

Dean shook his head in disbelief. He just couldn't comprehend it. "No way man, I don't know why they let you go and I don't care. We find them. We waste them."

"Dean," said Laney. "You can't do that. If they let Sam go - "

"Are you kidding me?" asked Dean. "You believe this garbage too?"

"Lay off her Dean."

"We're going after them."

"Why?" asked Sam

"What part of vampires don't you understand? If it's supernatural we kill it, end of story. That's our job."

"No, our job is hunting evil. And these things are not evil!"

"Of course they're evil Sam. These things kill people. That's what they do. They kill people; we exterminate them, that's what _we_ do."

"No Dean, not this time."

"Gordon has been on these things for a year. He knows."

"Gordon?"

"Yes."

"You're taking his word for it? You barely even know the guy."

"That's right."

"Ellen says he's bad news."

"You called Ellen?" asked Dean, incredulously.

"That's right, I did."

"And I'm supposed to listen to her? We barely know her. I'll stick with Gordon."

"Yeah, cause Gordon's such an old friend," Sam shook his head angrily. "I know what this is."

"What are you talking about?" demanded Dean.

"He's a substitute for Dad isn't he? And a poor one."

"Shut up Sam."

"Guys, knock it off," said Laney, putting herself between the two.

Sam pushed her out of the way and behind him.

"He's not even close, not by a long shot," said Sam.

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"You know you slap on this big fake grin, but I know what's going on. Dad's dead and he left a hole and it hurts so bad you can't take it. But you can't fill up that hole with whoever you want. It's an insult to his memory."

Laney gasped. Sam had crossed a line.

Dean gave his brother a hard look; and then wheeled around a punched him in the face.

"Dean!" yelled Laney, pushing her brother back.

"You can hit me all you want, but it doesn't change anything," shouted Sam.

"I'm going to hunt these things. You can come or stay behind, I don't care."

Dean took off into their motel room, Sam hot on his heels, Laney limping behind them, angry and scared.

"Dean, give me the benefit of the doubt here, please. You owe me that much."

"Give me the keys," demanded Dean.

Sam reached in his pocket then looked at the last place he left them. He also noticed Gordon was gone.

"He snaked the keys," said Sam in disbelief.

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A short drive later, after Dean had to hotwire his own car, they pulled up to the house Sam had been taken to by the vamps. Laney hadn't asked permission to come along, just got in the Impala and gave Dean an expression daring him to even try to protest.

He didn't.

"What's the plan?" asked Sam.

Dean looked over at his brother wincing at the sight of his face, which was beginning to swell and bruise.

"I'm going in," said Laney. It was the first time she'd spoken since they'd left the motel.

"No you're not," said Dean.

"Yes, I am. I trust Sam."

If it was meant to be a dig at Dean trusting Gordon over her brother, it worked. He flinched as if he'd been slapped.

"Fine," Dean said finally. "Stay out of the way."

"Story of my life," she huffed, getting out of the car

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Dean and Sam walked into the house, Laney trailing not far behind, but as Dean commanded "out of the way."

Just barely inside the entrance they saw that Gordon was at a kitchen table, knife to the throat of a woman tied to a chair.

"Well, hey there guys," said Gordon. "Come on in."

Laney leaned against the doorway to the room. Her leg was driving her crazy and she was tired beyond belief. She was reaching her breaking point.

"Hey Gordon," said Dean. "What's going on here?"

"Just poisoning Lenore here with some dead man's blood," he answered, nonchalantly.

Laney's eyes fixed on the vampire. She looked ill and much to her surprise, scared.

Dean took a cautious step forward.

"She's going to tell us where all her little friends are. You want to help?" asked Gordon.

"Look man," said Dean.

"Grab a knife," interrupted Gordon. As if to illustrate what they could do, he dragged the knife across Lenore's arm, drawing a gasp of pain from her.

Laney suddenly felt very weak in the knees. She took a seat in a chair near the doorway.

Sam looked at her concerned. He noticed the way she was absentmindedly rubbing at the scars on her chest. He cursed silently. She was remembering her torture at Meg's hands. Sam wanted nothing more than to beat the shit out of Gordon right then and there.

Dean must have noticed also, because his jaw clenched hard.

"Whoa, why don't we chill out," said Dean, his relaxed tone belying the rage that was building.

"I'm completely chill," said Gordon.

Sam took a step forward. "Put the knife down."

Dean put his arm up to block Sam's advance. He knew they needed to maintain cool. Gordon was a hunter, a trained killer, not some civilian off the street. This would take a certain amount of skill.

"I think Sam is the one that needs to chill."

"Step away from her," said Sam.

Laney was drawn out of her memory to the moment at hand. She had to stay focused. Things would happen fast and she had to be ready.

Gordon unexpectedly threw down the knife. "You know what? You're right, this bitch will never talk."

He pulled out a much longer knife. "I'm just going to put her out of her misery." Gordon touched the knife almost reverently. "I just sharpened it too. It'll be totally humane."

Laney had some idea that Gordon had no idea what it was to be humane.

Sam rushed towards him. "Gordon, I'm letting her go."

"You're not doing a damn thing," he said, suddenly putting the knife up to Sam's throat.

Laney stood up from her chair.

"Hey relax Gordon," said Dean, carefully approaching. "Let's talk. I know how you feel about this. The vampire that killed your sister deserved to die. But this -

Gordon laughed humorlessly. "That filthy fang didn't kill my sister. He turned her into one of them. So I hunted her down and I killed her myself."

Dean's eyes grew wide as saucers. He had killed his own sister? He couldn't fathom it, not ever, not for any reason. It was hard to believe hours ago he was singing Gordon's praises and soaking in his stories and now he was standing in front of a man who had just admitted he'd killed his own sister. Unreal.

"You did what?" asked Dean, still in disbelief.

"It wasn't my sister anymore, she wasn't human. If they turned your little sister into one, tell me you wouldn't do the same thing."

Gordon glanced over at Laney, which made her feel cold and dirty.

Sam shook his head. "So you knew all along then? You knew that the vampires weren't killing anyone, but that didn't stop you."

"I'm supposed to stop killing them because a few of them decided they wanted to play nice. Doesn't change what they are," said Gordon. "And I can prove it."

He quickly reached for Sam's arm and pulled it to him, slicing the blade across his arm, immediately drawing blood. He returned the knife to Sam's neck and pulled him towards Lenore.

"Sammy!" yelled Laney, taking a step forward, but still keeping her distance.

Dean pulled and cocked his gun, aiming it right between Gordon's eyes. "Let him go," he said, voice like ice.

"Relax," said Gordon. "If I wanted to kill him, he'd already be on the floor."

Dean gave him a disbelieving look.

Laney inched just a little bit further forward, eyes scanning the room quickly and covertly for anything she might be able to use as a weapon.

"I'm just making a little point," said Gordon. He turned Sam's arm downward so the blood flow would go directly into the vampire's mouth.

A small sound escaped Laney's mouth.

Dean tightened the hold on his gun, ready to fire if he had to.

The blood poured downward into Lenore's mouth. Her fangs suddenly came out and she made an inhuman screech, licking at the blood, like it was the last drop of water in the desert.

Laney was beginning to think maybe Gordon wasn't as off the mark as they thought.

He was still an asshole though.

Suddenly the vampire retracted her fangs. "No!" she said, "No! I won't do it."

Dean looked at Lenore, surprise on his face.

"You hear her Gordon," said Sam, pulling out of his grip.

Gordon stepped away from the vampire in a momentary stupor. Not sure he saw what he saw, not that it changed anything.

"We're done here," said Sam.

"Sammy, get her out of here," instructed Dean.

Sam approached Lenore and lifted her into his arms. She'd been so poisoned, she couldn't move on her own. Gordon took a step forward.

"No," said Dean. "Step back." He waved his gun at him.

"Take Laney with you," said Dean, as Sam reached the doorway.

"What about you?" asked Laney.

"Gordy and I are going to have a little chat," he said.

"Be careful," she, softly, before following her brother out to the Impala.

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Two hours later, Laney and Sam had finished helping the last of the nest of vampires get out of town before the sun got too high. They were just making it back to the house shortly after sunrise.

Laney was bone tired, exhausted mentally and physically, and her leg was screaming out in pain. On top of the insane night they'd had, she worried about how Dean was doing. He'd kind of had his world rocked.

"Maybe you should stay in the car," said Sam. "No telling what's been going down in there."

Laney yawned. "And miss my chance to see what's become of that jerk?"

Sam chuckled. "Okay." He reached a hand out and helped her onto her feet, wincing when he heard her gasp of pain.

When they walked into the house it was quiet. Dean was standing in the dining room doorway. Gordon was tied to a chair.

"My how the mighty have fallen," muttered Laney, loud enough for Dean to hear and chuckle. From the glare on Gordon's face directed at her, he'd heard her too.

"Ready to go?" asked Sam.

"Almost," said Dean. He turned towards Gordon. "Well, it's been real. I'll have someone come untie you in a few days. Give you a little time to reflect."

Then Dean cocked his arm and punched Gordon hard enough to send him crashing backwards in the chair.

"You want to get one in?" asked Dean, glancing at his sister.

"I think you got it covered," she said. But she walked over to Gordon and looked down at him. "Stay away from brothers."

Sam and Dean both smiled.

"Okay, we can go now," said Dean, satisfied.

They turned around and walked out back to the Impala, Laney limping hard and ready to sleep for at least the next 24 hours.

Dean turned around and looked at Sam. "Okay, Sammy, go ahead and clock me one."

"What?" asked Sam, confused.

"Come on, you owe me one."

"Forget it," said Sam. "I'll take a rain check."

"Yeah, Dean, you look like you went a couple of rounds with a cement block," said Laney, shaking her head.

Dean shrugged his shoulders and helped his sister into the car.

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One minute Laney was thinking about how well – or not well – life back on the road was going, and the next minute she could feel herself being lifted and carried. The familiar smell of old leather and sweat right at her nose let her know it was her oldest brother.

She opened her eyes, to see herself being carried into their motel room.

"I can walk," she said, sleepily.

"I'm sure you can," he answered.

Laney got a good look at his face, and even with sleep-deprived eyes she could see he looked pretty battered and exhausted. "Looks like someone should be carrying you."

She was rewarded with a deep laugh, although she wasn't so sleepy that she didn't notice the layers of regret and guilt lacing it. She didn't have the mental capacity at the moment to address their issues. They had the rest of their lives for that, so it could certainly wait until everyone got some sleep.

Dean gently laid her down on the bed and she felt her eyes growing heavy again. "Get some sleep, short stuff. Don't worry about me."

If she responded, she didn't remember. She was immediately asleep.

Dean chuckled. _I know exactly how you feel kiddo._

"You want the shower first?" asked Sam

"Nah, you go ahead," he said. "I'm going to tuck the midget in."

Sam smiled and nodded. "Oh, you should see if you can wake her long enough to take some painkillers. I know she's been hurting and it's been a few hours since her last dose."

Dean frowned, but nodded. "Okay."

Sam gathered his clothing and went into to take a much needed shower.

Dean pulled his sister's shoes off. Aside from a wince of – _pain?_ – she didn't awaken.

He pushed up the leg of her lounge pants and carefully removed her leg brace. She didn't have to sleep with it any longer and he knew she didn't sleep well with it either.

Dean let out a long hiss when he saw that her leg was much more swollen than he could remember seeing in a long time. He rubbed his hands over his face. Despite the fact that they were back on the road now, it didn't change that she still wasn't fully functional. Days like the one they'd just had proved how hard it was going to be to hunt and have her in that condition. He and Sam were going to have to come up with some hard rules for hunting with Laney; up to and including passing on cases that might be too involved or complicated.

He decided against waking her for meds, knowing that she needed the sleep more. Instead, he placed a few pills on the nightstand within arm's reach so when she woke they would be easily available. He grabbed the first aid kit and pulled out some Icy Hot wraps and secured them around her leg, pulling her pants leg down and then covering her with the blanket.

He sat and watched her sleep while he waited for Sam to be done with his shower. He thought about the way he had acted earlier. He'd been an ass, ready to believe some hunter he'd just met over the siblings he'd raised. He'd been so hungry for a hunt that he'd lost perspective. He knew they'd have a little talk and hug it out like always and everything would go on as usual. But still, he had to do a better job.

He leaned over and kissed his sister's forehead. She sighed happily and rolled towards him. He knew without a doubt, he could never do what Gordon had done to his own sister.

Never.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

A month and a half after their run in with Gordon, Laney was feeling restless and completely underutilized. Her brothers had been taking case after case that didn't require much more than some simple salt and burns and banishment rituals; child's play. She knew they had to be just as bored, but it was all part of their unspoken plan to keep her out of danger.

 _Lame._

The only upside was that they'd been spending a lot of time fine tuning her hunting skills, for all the good it had done so far.

"It's so freaking hot," Laney whined.

Their newest motel room's air conditioner was on the fritz, it was 95 degrees outside with 100% humidity, and she wasn't so sure that Meg's torture wasn't going to fall to number two on her list of horrible ways to spend summer vacation. It was late summer in South Florida and they were hunting some kind of creature prowling the wetlands and abducting campers.

"I know kiddo, but this is the only motel for miles and they don't have any other rooms," said Dean, apologetically.

"I'm melting," she moaned. She had a small hand-held fan up to her face that really did nothing more than blow more hot air around.

Dean snickered. It _was_ damn hot, that was no lie. He was shirtless and wearing a pair of shorts. Sam had gone out to stock up on some cold drinks and fill their cooler with ice.

"You want to go out when Sammy comes back? Find a place with A/C and relax?"

"Where Dean? There's like nothing for a hundred miles but that Bait and Tackle shop and the airboat rental place. And besides, the inside of the Impala is probably like a furnace, no thanks. Not in the mood to burn my ass too."

Dean shrugged. He tried.

"It'll only be another day or two at most," said Dean, attempting to placate her.

"I guess I should be glad this creature only seems to attack at night. At least the sun isn't out."

"Yeah, but the size of the mosquitoes," Dean motioned with his hands. "Like friggin' birds!"

"I hope you stocked up on mosquito repellent. You don't want to catch West Nile virus," said Laney.

Dean gave her a confused look.

"Dean, please tell me that you read something other than Weekly World News," she said, in exasperation.

"Of course I do," he said, a slow smirk spreading across his face. "I read the back of cereal boxes too."

Laney threw a pillow at him.

"Hey, don't mess with this handsome face," he laughed. "It pays the bills!"

"No, the credit card fraud I commit on your behalf pays the bills," she said.

Dean laughed. That was pretty much true.

Laney rolled her eyes and sat down at the table across from her brother. She pulled her knees up to her chest. Her leg was pretty much as good as it was ever going to get. She wore a very small, soft brace whenever she was doing any serious walking, but other than that, she barely felt any soreness anymore and had pretty normal range of motion.

"So, uh...," Laney began, fidgeting with a bottle cap on the table.

Dean glanced up from the gun he was cleaning to look at his sister. _Uh-oh._ She had that "let's have a serious talk" face on.

"Yeah?"

"You know, now that my leg has healed, I think it's time we started taking on more serious cases. More A-Team, less minor league," she said.

Dean smiled. "What do you think we're doing here?"

Laney shrugged. "Chasing down an urban legend?"

She didn't believe for a second that this swamp creature actually existed. Dean had seen Creature from the Black Lagoon one too many times and, of course any excuse to come to Florida and check out girls in skimpy bikinis was reason enough for him.

"Come on, you and I both know that urban legends all tend to have some basis in fact."

Laney canted her head in agreement. "Okay, so then you're going to let me go on this hunt with you?"

"As a matter of fact, yes."

Laney blinked at her brother in surprise. "You're kidding me right?"

Dean smiled and shook his head. "Nope. Sam and I talked about it last night. We think you're ready."

Laney bit her lip in excitement. "Wow, and I was expecting a lot of pleading and begging. I thought I'd maybe even have to resort to tears," she said with a chuckle.

"You know how I hate cry-babies," Dean joked.

"So you're really going to let me go on this hunt?" she asked again.

"I think we've prepared you as much as we can. It's time to let our little girl take her first steps."

Laney rolled her eyes and reached across the table to punch him in the shoulder. "Ouch."

She blew him a kiss.

"Hey guys," said Sam, coming in through the door, carrying a couple bags of ice and some groceries.

"Sammy," said Laney, "You have enough for an ice bath? I'm burning up here."

Sam laughed. "Got enough to keep our drinks cold, that's about it."

"I guess that will have to do," she chirped. She got up and started pulling items out of the bags all the while humming.

Sam gave her a dimpled smile. "You're in a good mood." An hour ago he'd left to get some supplies and his sister had been in a foul mood, complaining nonstop about the heat and being bored. He loved her, but he was glad to get away from the whining. It was so unlike her.

"Dean says you guys agreed to let me go on this hunt," she said with a bright smile.

"Yeah, we think you're ready."

"So do I," she said, as she opened an ice cold soda, "And I was getting pretty damn bored."

"Me too," said Dean. He got up from his chair and stretched, wiping at a bead of sweat rolling down his brow. Man, it was really hot.

Dean cleared his throat. "You know, they have a pretty decent pool here," he said. "I checked it out this morning."

"And?" Laney said, slowly, not following her brother.

"You want to hit the pool, cool down a bit?" he asked, nonchalantly.

Laney frowned and bit her lip. Pools meant bathing suits, which meant showing her scars, which meant no thanks, she'd pass.

"Nah, it's okay," she said. She was about to say she didn't have a bathing suit anyway, but remembered that Dean had made her buy one, because he declared that it was summer and you always had to have a bathing suit. They never knew where they might end up. She'd initially protested, but finally relented when he wouldn't shut up about it.

"There's nobody out there," said Sam. He'd checked on his way back.

Laney gave her brother a look. "I see you and Dean talked about more than my hunting."

Sam gave her his best innocent look.

Laney sighed. If it really was just the three of them then she figured that was okay. They were her brothers, they would never judge her. And it _was_ blistering hot. She could use the relief.

"Okay, okay," she said, reaching for her bag. "I'll go change."

Dean smiled triumphantly.

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Thirty-minutes later they were at the pool. Sam found an umbrella covered table and set their stuff down on it. Dean had a small radio – God forbid he go anywhere without his classic rock music – and a six pack of cold beer. He had made his own little poolside oasis.

Laney fidgeted next to her brother. She'd come out of the bathroom wearing a very large beach towel over her bathing suit. Apparently in her haste to make Dean happy, she'd grabbed the first bathing suit in her size without bothering to take a good look at it. And so she was mortified when she discovered she'd actually purchased a two piece suit. It was modest enough. The top covered her assets enough to satisfy her brothers and the bottom was a boy short, but still, her abdomen was exposed, which meant more scars for the whole world to see.

"You going to stand there all day?" asked Dean

Laney gave her brother a disgruntled look.

"Don't forget to put on lots of sunblock," said Sam.

"I'm not the one who burns," said Laney, looking pointedly at Dean. "But I took care of that back in the room."

Sam nodded. "Good."

Laney turned towards the pool. It wasn't half bad. It was pretty large and nice and clean and obviously well taken care of. She stuck a toe in the water. It was pleasantly cool.

"Come on Laney, get over yourself," she muttered quietly.

"What was that?" asked Sam

Laney turned towards her brother. "Uh, water's nice and cool."

"So what are you waiting for?"

Laney sighed and removed her towel. She didn't bother to look back at her brothers, instead walking towards the pool stairs.

Sam and Dean both watched her as discreetly as possible, each pretending to be busy doing something.

Dean tried to keep the smile on his face. It was hard not to get angry when seeing his sister's body. She had a thick pink horizontal scar across her abdomen from the surgery to remove her spleen after the accident. Further up on her chest were two thin, but visible crisscrossed scars left by Meg. The scars on her leg from where they'd implanted the rods and screws to rebuild the bone were still a bright pink. And there were some very, very faint scars from the superficial cuts on her arms and legs. They would completely fade soon, but still it made him so upset to see them. He understood why she was reluctant to show them off. Not only were they a reminder of all that had happened to her in her short life, they were also a reminder of the accident that had taken their father's life. She was too young to have to deal with all of it.

Sam's face mirrored Dean's own thoughts. When Laney glanced their way they both smiled.

"Do I have to come over there and push you in?" asked Dean.

Laney smirked. "Go ahead and try! It'll be the last thing you do!"

"Is that a dare?" asked Dean, getting up from his chair.

Laney's eyes grew wide as Dean launched himself at her. "Don't! No!"

Dean grabbed her around the waist and pulled her towards the edge of the pool.

"Let go, Dean! You'll be sorry!"

"Oh really? What are you doing to do?"

Laney slammed her foot down on Dean's, laughing hysterically at the way he began jumping up and down.

"This is war!" he yelled.

Before Dean could make a move for her, Sam had come rushing around from the other side and shoved his brother into the pool.

"Yes!" shouted Laney, high-fiving her brother. "Nice job, Sammy."

Sam laughed. Dean looked up at them like a drowned cat. He took a dive under the water again and came up. "Water's fine, come on in," he said.

Laney smiled widely and took a running leap into the pool. "Cannonball!" she yelled.

She came up to the surface laughing.

"Points for style," said Dean.

"Thanks," she said as she floated up onto her back. "Oh man, this is so nice."

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An hour later and Laney couldn't bring herself to get out of the pool.

"You're going to turn into a prune," said Dean. "Take a break."

Laney stuck her tongue out at him. "In a minute."

Sam was sitting in a chair reading a book, his hair already almost dry from his earlier dip in the pool. Dean was half-way through his six-pack and munching on some M&M's.

Laney swam up to the side nearest her brothers. "So, what's the plan tonight?" she asked.

Sam put his book down. "I spoke to some of the guys over at the bait shop and got a good idea where these disappearances have been happening. It's about a 15 mile drive from here, down some back roads. Some kind of hiking trail. Part of the Everglades State Park."

"And this is where they've been seeing this "skunk ape"?" she asked, using finger quotes.

"Yup," said Sam. "Local legend says it's like a Bigfoot or Sasquatch, only not quite as big and with white fur ringing the eyes."

"Yeah, well Sasquatches and Bigfoot don't really exist," said Laney.

"What do you mean?" asked Dean. "We have our own Sasquatch right here," he said, pointing at his brother.

Sam flipped him the bird, making Laney giggle.

"Anyways," Sam continued loudly, "Several campers swear they've seen it. Every time there's been a sighting, there's been a disappearance."

"Have they found any bodies?" asked Laney

"Nope, nada," said Dean.

"It could be anything," said Laney, thoughtfully. "You know how unreliable eyewitnesses can be."

"Yeah I know, so we'll be fully loaded with all the goods, since we don't know what we're dealing with. And I think you know the rules well enough, so I won't lecture you," said Dean.

Laney raised a brow. "Really? But what's a hunt without a Dean Winchester patented lecture?"

Sam barked a laugh.

Dean glared at her. "Cute."

"When are we heading out?" she asked.

"Around sunset, which isn't until after 8," said Dean.

"Good," said Laney, "I'm going to swim for a little longer."

Dean shook his head. "You're going to be so waterlogged."

"I'm not listening," she said in a sing-song voice, as she swam away towards the other end of the pool.

Dean threw an M&M at her, but overshot and hit the other side of the pool.

Sam shook his head. _Kids._

Laney was in the middle of a leisurely lap when she heard unfamiliar voices approaching. She bobbed to the surface and noticed a group of college age guys approaching the pool, carrying a cooler and a few cases of beer.

"Freaking great," muttered Laney. She glanced at her brothers who were trying to remain as nonchalant as possible but watching the approaching men with hard eyes.

The college boys set up their stuff on the opposite end of the pool from her brothers.

 _I think that's my cue to leave,_ Laney thought. Last thing she wanted was to be ogled by a bunch of horny jerks. They looked like the frat heads she'd seen around Boston when she'd been away at college. They thought every girl under the sun worshipped the ground they walked on. Not her. She hated them.

She swam to the stairs, not acknowledging their looks.

Laney exited the pool, unconsciously putting her arms over her stomach. A couple of the guys passed her on their way into the water not bothering to pretend they weren't checking her out.

"I'd still do her," one said to the other with a laugh.

Laney felt her face flame in embarrassment.

She walked towards Sam who was holding out her towel. She quickly grabbed it and wrapped her around her body, immediately grabbing her belongings.

"Let's go," she said, softly.

Dean had noticed the expression on her face when those guys walked by her. They had said something to her and whatever it was, Laney hadn't taken it well.

"What happened?" asked Dean, gruffly.

"Nothing Dean, let's get back to the room. I'm tired."

He grabbed her softly on the arm. "Talk to me kid, what did they say?"

"Nothing," she insisted.

"It's not nothing. You look like someone kicked a puppy," said Dean.

Sam put an arm around his sister. "Tell us. I'll make sure Dean behaves."

Dean shot his brother a dirty look.

"It's not worth it," she said. Although she thought it would be nice for her brothers to teach those jerks a thing or two. It was still eight against two and while she didn't doubt her brothers could take each and every one of them down, they had a hunt to get to and were on a time table.

"We'll decide if it's not worth it," said Dean.

Laney was beginning to feel horribly embarrassed. But she could see that neither brother was going to give up until she answered.

She sighed. "Those two guys were checking me out and one of them said, "I'd still do her", as he walked by, okay? Now can we go while I still have a shred of dignity?"

Dean's jaw clenched tight. It was bad enough his sister had her own insecurities about her body, but for some assholes to mess with her head like that and think it was funny? That was unforgivable

"Laney, go back to the room. We'll meet you there."

Laney looked up. "Sammy?"

"Listen to Dean. We'll be right behind you."

Laney shook her head. She could argue, for all the good that would do. "Just, don't do anything stupid. They're just words."

Yeah right, thought Dean. That's why he could tell his sister was ready to break out into a fit of tears.

"Best behavior, scout's honor," said Dean.

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When Laney returned to the room, she went straight into the bathroom to take a shower. No use waiting for her brothers. She didn't want to see what condition they'd return in.

She tossed the wet bathing suit in the bathroom wastebasket. She wouldn't be wearing one of those ever again.

Although it was still stifling hot in the room, she took a hot shower, scrubbing herself thoroughly. She felt dirty. She felt damaged. The rollercoaster she'd been on for the last several months was getting old. She was up, she was down. Whenever she started to feel somewhat like her old self, something happened to remind her that her old self was gone forever and what was left was a battered shell of what she once was.

She couldn't really talk to Sam and Dean about it. They felt bad enough. She could see the guilt and the sympathy in their eyes all the time. She'd never add to that. Nothing that had happened to her was their fault. They were the only ones that kept her sane. All because in the always showed how much they loved her and how they'd give her everything they had until they had nothing left.

She only wished she could return the favor. She wanted to take care of them the way they did her. But she felt so incapable.

Laney slid down the shower wall until she was curled up in the tub and sobbed. It was getting to be an all too familiar occurrence.

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Sam and Dean returned to the room only minutes behind their sister. They half expected her to be stomping around the room and awaiting their return. They were surprised to hear the shower running in the bathroom.

Sam threw their stuff in a corner, while Dean grabbed another beer and popped the cap. Being the big bad protective older brother made a guy thirsty.

"Dean," said Sam, quietly, yet urgently.

Dean looked up over at his brother. "What?"

Sam canted his head towards the bathroom door. "Hear that?"

Dean squinted at the door and walked a little closer, a frown forming when he realized what Sam was talking about.

Crying. No, _sobbing._

Dean cursed and almost knocked on the door. But if his sister was crying in the shower, it was certainly for the privacy. She probably didn't realize she could be heard. There were many nights when he'd watched her come out from the bathroom after a ridiculously long time. Her eyes would be ringed a little red. He never said anything, but he knew. Sam knew. She'd been spending an awful lot of time crying in private and he felt completely helpless. He didn't know what to do.

Sam sighed and took a seat on the bed. "I wish she would talk to us," he said. "Too bad she's so much like you in the talk-about-your-feelings department."

"I don't disagree," said Dean.

"Should we try?" asked Sam

Dean debated it for a minute. "Maybe you should. She opens up to you easier, you know, because you're so in touch with your girly side."

"Jerk."

"Bitch."

They heard the shower shut off.

"Just wait until after the hunt," said Dean. "We need her focused."

Sam nodded. "Yeah, okay."

Laney stepped out of the bathroom, a wave of steam following her out.

"Did you take a hot shower?" asked Dean

Laney looked startled. She hadn't heard them come back in the room.

"Uh –yeah," she stammered, hoping they hadn't heard her little breakdown.

Dean noticed her skin was red and raw, what he could see anyway. She must have scrubbed the hell out of herself. She was also pulling on a long sleeved shirt over her tank top and wearing long pants. And suddenly Dean wanted really badly to kill something. He exchanged a glance with Sam.

"What's with the outfit?" asked Dean. "It's still hot out."

"Mosquito protection," she said. And she sounded so convincing that Dean thought he might be off in his assessment. Yeah right, he knew his little sister better than himself. This was fallout over what those jerks had said.

"We're not leaving for awhile, and you're making me sweat just looking at you. Change into something cooler for now," said Dean.

Laney bit her lip.

There was a knock at the door.

Sam walked over to the door and looked through the peep hole.

"It's for you," he said, pointing at Laney.

"Me?"

"Yup."

Laney walked over to the door, a look of confusion on her face. On top of that, she'd just realized her brothers were back to the room unscathed. So, what had happened out there?

She opened the door to see the two guys that had walked by her at the pool. She was face to face with the one who had made the comment about her.

Laney's eyes widened in surprise. "Uh, can I help you?"

The blonde ringleader spoke. "I – uh – we –uh – we wanted to apologize for speaking so rudely to you. It was disrespectful and uncalled for. We're really sorry."

Laney looked back at her brothers again. Was this guy for real?

"Uh – okay. Thanks for the apology," said Laney.

"Sure," said the blonde. "Sorry again," he said, before he turned quickly and walked the other way, like the Devil himself was on his tail.

Laney shut the door and gave her brothers a look. "Okay, what the hell did you guys say to him?"


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

"Well, I spoke to the park ranger and he says we're the only campers in the area tonight," said Dean.

"That's comforting," said Sam.

"I guess that's what happens when you have a skunk, swamp or whatever kind of ape you want to call it on the loose," said Dean.

"Who goes camping in the middle of a swamp anyway?" asked Laney, dropping her bag at their designated campsite.

"It's probably safer than the beach. Never know when Jaws might take a bite out of your ass," smirked Dean.

"That figures, coming from the man who spent a whole week glued to Shark Week on Discovery channel," quipped Laney.

"It was compelling television," said Dean.

"Uh-huh."

"Guys, this tent isn't going to erect itself," said Sam, struggling with the tent poles.

"You said erect," snorted Dean.

Laney chuckled.

"You're such a juvenile," Sam said to his brother.

"Sammy's right. We'd better get set up before it gets any darker," said Laney, taking pity.

Dean began helping his brother with the tent.

Laney decided to go for a walk around the campground, staying in her brothers' sight. Not that they might not see her. It wasn't like there was another soul around.

"Watch out for snakes," Sam called out.

Laney shivered – she hated snakes – and headed back to her brothers.

"Well this is going to be loads of fun," said Laney, sarcastically. "If the swamp creature doesn't get us, then we've got venomous snakes, poisonous spiders, alligators, disease ridden mosquitoes…"

"Hunting's a dirty job," said Dean with a smile. "Get used to it. Besides, danger at every turn, what's not to love?"

Laney sighed and dug through her bag for a can of mosquito repellent and started spraying herself again.

"How many layers of that are you going to put on?" asked Dean, waving the spray away from his face.

"As much as it takes to keep these damn bugs off me," said Laney. "They won't leave me alone."

Sam gave his sister a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.

Laney frowned, "Sorry, I've been complaining all day."

"No worries," said Sam. "I prefer it over Dean's never ending bitching."

"Hey," said Dean, in mock offense.

Laney smiled. "Seriously guys, I'm sorry and thank you for you know, sticking up for me with those frat guys."

"You don't have to be sorry," said Dean. "And you definitely don't have to thank us. It's our job."

"Yeah, well I'm still sorry I'm so much work," Laney muttered with a sigh.

Dean exchanged a quick glance with Sam and wondered if it wasn't the right time after all for Sam to have a heart to heart with their sister. He needed her head straight for the hunt, and if she was going to be dwelling on the incident at the pool than he was probably of the right mind to load her up in the Impala and send her back to the motel and safety.

"What did you say to those a-holes anyway?" asked Laney, breaking into Dean's thoughts.

"It's not so much what we said," said Dean, with a smirk. "More like what we threatened. I may not be the genius in the family, but I can be pretty creative."

Laney rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Probably better I don't know then."

"Probably," laughed Sam.

He had to admit that Dean had been pretty damn scary. It was always a sight to see. He was like a Mama bear protecting his cubs. It didn't seem to matter to him that he was a grown man and Laney was nearly a grown woman. He was pretty sure that Dean was always going to see him and sister as little children.

Laney plopped herself down on top of the cooler. "Okay, let's run through what we know about this case. What's the official missing persons count?"

"Six missing campers in as many months," said Dean. "All from this campground, all were accounted for when they went to sleep, missing in the morning without a trace. Authorities combed the area and didn't find a thing. But with the regular storms that roll through this area, it's pretty easy for evidence to get washed away."

Laney nodded. "Okay, so how does the ape figure into this?"

"Apparently there have been over a hundred sightings of some creature in this general area. Bipedal, tall, hairy, sharp teeth, white ringing around the eyes," said Sam.

"But no one's been able to get a picture of it?" asked Laney. "You would think in this day and age with cameras everywhere someone would have scored one by now."

"You would think," said Dean.

"There might not be any connection between the sightings and the disappearances at all. And I'm not sensing anything freaky," said Laney. Her abilities had been helpful on some of their earlier cases.

"We've got to check it out anyway," said Dean. "Something or someone has been grabbing these people, supernatural or not."

"True," agreed Laney. "I guess we'll need to be prepared for anything."

Dean smiled widely and winked. "That's my motto."

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"So, what now?" asked Laney.

Their campsite was completely set up. They were in the refuge of the tent that Laney had made sure was double protected with mosquito nets.

"Now, we wait," said Dean.

"I'm bored already," said Laney, mentally kicking herself the second the words came out of her mouth. She didn't mean to sound like a whiny baby. She really didn't. But she was hot and tired and still feeling the sting of what had happened earlier. Maybe she should have sat this one out. Maybe she wasn't ready after all.

Sam saw uncertainty written all over his sister's face and frowned. "Come over here," he said.

Laney quirked an eyebrow and shrugged. She scooted over next to her brother. He patted his lap, "Lay down."

Laney smiled, grabbed a pillow and put her head in her brother's lap. He started rubbing circles on her back.

Her eyes immediately became heavy. "That's nice," she said with a sigh.

Dean smiled and picked up his Muscle Car magazine and began reading.

"Where did you get that?" asked Sam, grabbing the necklace she was wearing.

Dean looked up.

"Oh," said Laney. "Remember my nurse Rachel? She gave it to me when I left the hospital. She made it herself."

"It's nice," said Sam, as he studied the charm. There was something familiar about it, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

"Yeah, you know I'm not much into jewelry, but it's kind of special to me." _And so far it hasn't given me nightmares._ Unlike her father's dog tags, which Sam had taken possession of and kept out of her sight. She hadn't had a nightmare about her father in a couple months. Not that it changed what she had seen. She still knew the truth. Sam might be destined to be evil and Dean might have to kill him.

"What's wrong?" asked Dean. He'd been studying his sister's face and saw the dark cloud that fell over her face. Again he found himself questioning his judgment about letting her come on the hunt.

"Huh?" asked Laney, her gaze meeting her brother's frowning face. "Nothing," she answered. "Just thinking."

"Think you can do something a little less dangerous?" he quipped.

"Ha-ha," she said, scowling.

Dean smiled innocently. "Why don't you go to sleep? It's early, but it's been a long day and you look like you're barely keeping your eyes open."

Laney yawned. She really hadn't been tired until just then. "I'm powerless against the back rub."

Sam laughed. "Go ahead kiddo. I'll keep it up until you fall asleep."

Laney yawned again. Sleep sounded like a good idea. "Yeah okay. Goodnight."

"Night."

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When Laney was next aware, she could hear the sound of chirping birds and see the light of early morning through the tent window. She was thinking how it was the best night of sleep she'd had in a really long time. _Go figure._

She glanced around the tent noticing she was alone. It was surprising but not really alarming to her at first. She knew that Sam had gotten her settled on her own sleeping bag once she'd fallen asleep and that Dean had taken first watch. They tended to get an extra early start when they were on a hunt.

They were probably making breakfast or whatever it was that people did when they went camping. She stretched and rubbed the cramp in her leg before she slipped on her shoes and grabbed a change of clothes and headed out of the tent.

"Hey guys, I'm gonna go change so –"

Laney broke off mid-sentence. The campsite was empty, there was no one around. No Dean. No Sam.

"What the hell?" muttered Laney. "Sam! Dean!" she called out.

Laney dipped her head back into the tent and looked around again. Aside from the empty sleeping bags, nothing looked amiss. No signs of a struggle or anything else suspicious. Her spidey senses weren't tingling.

Thinking quickly, she reached into the weapons bag and grabbed two guns and several clips of different types of ammo. She strapped the small hunting knife and sheath that Dean had given her around her ankle and slipped a flask of holy water in one pocket and container of salt in the other. Dean had taught her to be prepared for any possibility.

Once she was fully armed, she headed out of the campsite and towards the trailhead that went deeper into the glades. She called out for her brothers a couple more times, but when she got no response she decided it might be a better idea to stay quiet and off the trail. There was no telling what was actually lurking out there.

Laney reached into her pocket and felt her cell phone and immediately cursed herself.

 _Stupid, stupid, try the phone idiot._

She dialed both of the brothers but both calls went to straight to voicemail. Phones were off or batteries were dead.

She activated the GPS on her cell phone. She had spent some time studying the trail maps closely the night before, but with her photographic memory all awry, the information didn't seem as crisp and she doubted her recall.

 _Okay, what now?_

She could go back to the campsite, drive the Impala up to the Ranger station and declare her brothers missing. That would take time and who knew how long they'd been gone for. She still had a good phone signal so she could keep searching and call for help when she needed it or she could sit and wait and see if they came back.

Laney shook her head. _Yeah, right._ Like she was going to sit and wait.

She decided to continue the search on foot, slightly off trail. She focused her thoughts and ran a mental checklist of everything her brothers and father had ever taught her and hoped it was enough to handle whatever dangers she might face.

Whatever had happened, she knew without a doubt that they were in trouble and she was the only one around who could help them.

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"Okay, so what the hell kind of swamp ape builds a steel cage, has handcuffs and chains?" asked Sam.

"The smart kind," answered Dean, dryly.

Sam rolled his eyes.

"Not that we know what we're dealing with," said Dean. "Jerk off won't show his face!" he yelled out to the swamp.

Last thing he remembered he'd been on watch outside the tent when he heard some strange noises. He went to investigate and then it was lights out. When he came to, he was handcuffed and chained to a steel cage in the middle of God only knew where. An hour later Sam had joined him, but he still hadn't gotten a look at what had grabbed them.

Neither one of them had.

"Calm down, man," said Sam. "We've got to figure a way out of here. Laney's out there by herself."

"You think I don't know that?" spat Dean. He continued trying to find some kind of weakness in the cage they were both cuffed to.

"Okay, so what do you think this thing wants with us? Why kidnap us and throw us in a cage in the middle of a swamp?" asked Sam.

"Hell if I know," said Dean, as he kicked at the cage in frustration.

Sam shook his head. "I'm sure Laney's noticed we're gone by now. She probably called for help already."

"I seriously doubt it," said Dean, with a sigh. Laney felt the same way he did about the "authorities". They would probably only make things worse. Besides it wasn't like they'd done any good so far. Six people had gone missing and now they were seven and eight. And if this thing was out there hunting his sister…he didn't even want to think about it.

"I hope she's not coming looking for us," said Sam.

"I know she is," said Dean. "There's no way she's going to sit around and do nothing."

Sam sighed. His brother was right. The Winchester siblings were always willing to put their lives on the line for each other. But it didn't sit right with Sam. Laney was the little sister – the baby – she shouldn't be in a position where she was saving their asses and risking hers in the process. He was starting to wish more than ever that she was back at MIT.

"Listen," said Dean, having some idea of where Sam's mind was going. "We need to keep focus on what we _can_ do. Let's keep trying to find a way out of here, keep our eyes open for this thing."

Sam nodded. "You're right."

"Now, this thing couldn't have carried us by itself for too long. So, either there is more than one, its got superhuman strength, or we're not that far into the swamp," said Dean.

"So, maybe not that far in, but completely off the trail?"

"Exactly what I was thinking."

"What time was it when you were grabbed?" asked Sam.

Dean thought for a moment. "Around 3 a.m I think."

"Okay, so when I came outside because I heard a noise it was around 4," said Sam. "So he was back for me in about an hour."

"So, we're definitely not far from the campground," said Dean.

"Great," said Sam. "If we're not that far than Laney is going to either run right into it or get caught."

"Sam, we have to trust she'll be able to take care of herself. We taught her everything we could."

"She shouldn't be out here Dean."

"It's her choice and like it or not, she's in this life for good. You should know that better than anyone. You've got your psychic thing and so does she, and evil sons of bitches are going to be hunting us until we kill them all or they get us first. Which isn't going to happen by the way."

Sam smiled. Dean had said "us." His brother didn't have any special powers and it seemed the demons didn't care about him one way or the other, but he considered it is his fight anyway. Just one of the many reasons he loved him. Not that he was about to admit that.

"Did this thing get all your weapons?" asked Sam, changing the subject.

Dean cursed. "Everything. My phone too. You?"

"Yup."

"Great, we're tied up, prisoners of what we don't know, for reasons we don't know and we don't have a weapon between the two of us. I just love camping," Dean declared, sarcastically.

"Well, this thing only seems to hunt at night, so maybe it's nocturnal. We have some time to come up with a plan," said Sam.

"Oh yeah, what did you have in mind little brother?"

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Laney carefully covered her tracks as she moved along. It was a painstakingly slow process, but necessary nonetheless. Whatever was out there could very well be hunting her too now and she wasn't going to take chances. The way she saw it, she was the only hope for finding and rescuing her brothers.

There was the loud snap of a twig.

Laney froze then ducked behind some tall grass for cover. She could hear the rustle of leaves and soft footfalls. She very quietly pulled the gun from her waistband and took the safety off, all the while keeping her eyes open and searching.

Suddenly a figure broke through a large area of brush and into a clearing. She got a good look at it. It appeared to be just a man; dirty, long hair and a scraggly beard, dark ratty clothing, large and imposing, but just a plain old human animal.

 _Skunk ape, my ass._

The man was carrying some kind of a weapon. She couldn't make it out, exactly. Looked like a club of some kind. Come to think of it, he did look an awful lot like a prehistoric caveman.

Laney debated her next course of action. She was ready to take down anything supernatural, but if this was just a man, she wasn't so sure how to proceed. She couldn't even be sure he had anything to do with her brothers' or the other campers disappearances. He could just be the proverbial crazy old hermit, living in the woods.

She waited and watched to see what direction he was going in. When he made it out of the clearing, Laney made a move to follow, staying low and out of sight as best she could. Sometimes her small stature had its advantages.

She followed him for close to fifteen minutes in a roundabout way, deep into a wilder part of the swamp. It was hard keeping an eye on him and keeping an eye for alligators and other creatures. Occasionally the man would stop and look around, eyes alert. She had a sense that he knew he was being followed.

Laney decided to back off a bit before continuing. Another fifteen minutes in, they came to a very dense area, surrounded by large trees and thick brush. She watched the wild man walk a circle around the area before he finally went into a deep patch of hip length grass.

 _Shit._

She couldn't see a thing now and was afraid of losing her bearings.

Laney stayed low and kept her eyes on the patch of grass that he'd walked into. She moved in a circle staying covered until she reached the area where he'd disappeared. She was only a few feet in when she nearly tripped over something.

 _What is that? A stick?_

Laney knelt down and took a closer look. Startled, she dropped it and crawled a little further into the brush, until she came to a larger pile.

 _Oh my God._

Human bones.

Laney had to work hard to keep herself from retching right there in the middle of the swamp. She took several deep breaths to calm herself before crawling further into the small stockpile of human bones.

Definitely the missing campers. There were enough bones to equal more than a few people. But what had happened to them?

The bones were completely clean except –

Laney picked one up and took a closer look. She dropped it like it was on fire.

 _Teeth marks._

Laney shook her head in disbelief. _Great._

She was in the middle of the Florida Everglades, with two missing brothers, and what appeared to be a crazy cannibalistic hairy pseudo caveman. There was nothing in the hunting playbook about how to take one down.

Could her life get any weirder?

Before she had a chance to contemplate her next step she heard a distant grunt and the rushing of footsteps.

"Crap" she whispered. She was caught.

She stood up and took off at a run, just as the cannibal came crashing through the tall grass. She cocked her gun and pointed it up towards the sky, shooting several rounds off, effectively startling him long enough for her to take off into the deep brush and hide. She tripped on some rotten wood but quickly regained her footing as she shot off a few more rounds behind her and kept running.

As she ran, she was pretty sure she'd heard the distinct shouts of her brothers.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Sam's head shot up. "What was that?"

"Gunshots," whispered Dean. From a .22 caliber pistol.

The kind he'd given his sister.

Sam seemed to make the same connection when he breathed out. "Laney."

Dean and Sam both began shouting.

"Laney!" shouted Dean. "Stay away!"

"Laney! Get help!" yelled Sam.

They heard a couple more shots in quick succession.

"Son of a bitch!" shouted Dean, feeling helpless and frustrated. It went against every grain in his body not being able to help his sister. It was almost physically painful.

Sam kept shouting his sister's name until his voice grew hoarse. He collapsed against his the steel cage, breathing heavily.

"We have to get out of here now," said Dean, through gritted teeth.

"We've tried everything," said Sam. And they had. They'd spent a couple of hours trying to break free from their chains and find a weakness in their cage. But it had been fruitless. They were trapped and helpless, like bait on a hook, totally exposed.

Sam looked up suddenly, head tilted to the side.

"You hear that?" he asked, in a whisper. "Something's coming."

Dean steeled himself, muscles tense and at the ready. Sam did the same.

Dean kept his eyes peeled, eyes darting in all directions, waiting and listening as footsteps came closer. He was shocked by what came into a view.

It was a man.

A crazy ass hippie looking asshole, but a man, just the same. He'd been taken down by a mortal being. Well if that wasn't embarrassing.

"It's a human," said Sam.

"Thank you Captain Obvious."

Sam glared at his brother for a second before redirecting his attention back to the man.

"Hey, asshole, what do you want?" Dean called out.

The man came closer, dangling something in his hands. He had an expression on his face that showed he was nine kinds of crazy, but that he knew he had the upper hand.

"What is that?" asked Sam

"What?" asked Dean.

"He's got something in his hand."

The man walked up near the cage, but stayed a few feet back. He held up what was in his hands.

"Oh my God," said Sam, gripping the steel cage tightly. "That's Laney's necklace."

Dean's fists clenched in rage.

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Laney ran for a good five minutes before she felt it was safe enough to stop. It was obvious the cannibal hadn't followed her. She found a good spot to take cover and catch her breath so she could formulate a plan. She wasn't about to let her brothers become that psycho's next meal.

She had very clearly heard her brothers shouting. So they knew she was out there and she knew that she was close enough to them that it shouldn't be hard to find their location. Wherever the cannibal had re-emerged from had to be in their general direction.

Laney stood up and took a good look at her surroundings. She'd paid close attention to the path she'd taken as she ran and knew she could find her way back pretty easily. She had to figure out her next step before it got dark. The cannibal would have the advantage at that point. He obviously knew the swamp well.

She walked out a little further east of where the cannibal's graveyard had been, just to put a little more distance between them when she just happened to look down, and it was a good thing she did.

Laney stopped up short when she came to the edge of what appeared to be a very large sinkhole. It was a good 30 or 40 feet deep.

A grin spread across her face. She had an idea.

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"Why don't you come over here and let me out? We can fight it out like real men, one on one!"

"Forget it, Dean, I think he's mentally challenged," said Sam.

"Gee you think, Sammy?"

The crazy looking man stepped forward with a menacing glare before backing off and heading back the way he came.

"Come back here! I'm not done with you!"

"I think I know what happened to those missing campers," said Sam.

"Oh yeah, what?" asked Dean, distractedly.

"What do you think a guy who is obviously crazy and has been living out in a swamp for what looks to be a long time, eats to survive?"

"Snakes, alligators, possums? I don't know. What?"

Sam quirked an eyebrow.

Realization dawned on his brother's face.

"Dude, no way," said Dean, with a shake of his head.

"He's not keeping them as pets."

"That's just….eww," said Dean. "Freaking Hannibal Lecter meets Grizzly Adams."

"Well, at least Laney got away. If he'd gotten her, he would have been dangling her in front of us," said Sam.

Dean sighed and rubbed his hands through his hair. "Probably true."

"Still, I get the feeling she's going to do something incredibly stupid," said Sam.

"What makes you say that?"

"You did raise her."

Dean scowled at Sam even though he had a good point.

Dean liked to take chances, especially if one of his siblings lives was at stake. Laney would've picked up that trait easily.

"I don't like it," Dean huffed out. "But there's nothing we can do but sit and wait."

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Laney double backed the way she came, staying just slightly off the path. The sun was high in the sky and it was miserably hot and humid. Off to the southwest she could see the typical summer thunderheads forming. It would probably be best is she put her plan into effect before the torrential downpours began.

She wiped at the beads of sweat rolling down her forehead as she pulled out her gun and loaded fresh ammo.

She stayed alert, continually scanning her perimeter. She knew the cannibal was going to come back for her. It was just a matter of time. If she made an extra wide loop around the way she came she was sure she could get past him in time to find her brothers.

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It took twice as long to get back to the cannibal's home turf as it did to get there the first time. She was being extra cautious and spent a lot of time crawling on all fours or kneeling and her leg wasn't happy about it. It was easy to ignore the ache. Nothing was going to keep her from finding Sam and Dean.

Laney hunkered down and watched for any activity.

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Laney had been sitting in the same spot waiting to see if she could catch a glance of the cannibal for nearly an hour when she heard the distant rumble of thunder.

 _Crap._

She had to do something fast. If it started raining she'd lose her advantage.

She was just about to start moving when she heard a light rustling coming from the tall grass.

And there he was.

The cannibalistic bastard that had her brothers.

He began heading east and away from her position, much to her relief.

She waited until he was far enough away that she couldn't see him anymore and quickly headed into the tall grass from where he came.

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"Sounds like a storm is coming."

"Good," said Dean. "We can use the rain. I'm dying of thirst over here. And I'm starving."

Sam shook his head in amusement. Life or Death. It never seemed to affect his brother's appetite.

"Do you think –"

The words died on Sam's lips. "Something's coming," he whispered.

Dean tensed again. "Let's hope it's not his lunchtime," he muttered.

They waited with baited breath.

Dean and Sam both did a double take.

"Laney?" asked Dean, in a loud whisper.

Laney's eyes widened when her brothers came into view. She ran up to them.

"Sam! Dean!"

"Are you okay?" asked Dean

"Me? I'm not the one chained in a cage about to be the main course," she said.

"Where is he?" asked Sam

"Headed east," answered Laney, as she looked for an opening where she could hand her brothers some weapons or tools to get out of the cage. She spotted a slot at the top of the cage, probably an opening to feed his prey, keep them fattened up like pigs to slaughter.

She dropped a gun, their lock pick set, a lighter and her boot knife.

"Here, make like MacGyver and figure a way out," said Laney.

Dean reached for the items and gave his sister an affectionate smile. "Have I mentioned lately how awesome you are?"

"You can tell me all about it later, just get yourselves free," she said, impatiently. The hair on the back of her neck was standing up. Something wasn't right.

Suddenly from her left she heard footsteps approaching. "Damn, he's back," said Laney. "Gotta run."

"Laney, get back here!" exclaimed Dean, unable to hide the panic in his voice.

"It's okay, I've got a plan!" she yelled back.

"Come and get me douchebag!" shouted Laney, towards the brush.

She ran several feet to the edge of the tall grass and waited. When the cannibal made his appearance, she offered him a smirk, pulled her gun out, and took off at a run.

The cannibal looked at Sam and Dean, and back where Laney had been standing. He couldn't help it. He took the bait.

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"Damn it!" shouted Dean. "When I get my hands on that kid, she's going to get it!"

"I've heard that before," said Sam, with a snicker. "Anyway, she's doing what we trained her to do. We can't expect her to be a hunter and not take risks."

"I thought you didn't like her hunting," muttered Dean, as he fumbled with the boot knife.

"I don't. But if she's going to do, we have to expect she's going to be in danger all the time."

Dean shook his head. He didn't want to debate it. "Getting anywhere with that pick?"

"Almost got it," said Sam. "There," he said, releasing the handcuffs.

He helped Dean get out of his cuffs. He rubbed at his wrists before grabbing the gun that Laney had given him.

"Cuffs are down. We've got to break these chains," said Dean. "Stand back."

Dean pointed the gun towards one of the chain links and worked to steady his arm from the adrenaline coursing through his body.

"Don't miss man."

Dean took a deep breath and fired, breaking the link in one shot. Sam was free.

Sam grabbed the gun from his brother and returned the favor.

"Give me the lock pick," said Dean.

He felt around the outside of the cage until he found the lock keeping them in. It took him a long couple of minutes, but he finally got it open.

They stepped out of the cage as a downpour began to fall.

"Which way do you think she went?" asked Sam.

"I don't know, maybe –"

There was the pop of a gunshot.

Sam and Dean exchanged a look. "This way!" shouted Dean.

They took off at a run.

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Laney had to put a little extra pep in her run. Her decent head start on the cannibal had dwindled down to the point where she could hear him breathing behind her. She popped off a shot from the gun in his general direction which made him back off just slightly.

 _Come on, just a little more, we're almost there._

Laney tripped on a fallen log, sending a shot of pain down her damaged leg. She grunted in pain, but quickly got back to her feet. No time to waste.

Her chest tightened from the exertion. _We're so close. Just a little further._

The skies opened up and a torrential downpour began to fall.

"Just perfect!" shouted Laney to no one in particular.

The rain was falling so heavily that she actually had to squint to keep her sense of direction. She smiled when she saw where she needed to be.

Behind her, she heard the footsteps of the cannibal closing in on her.

"Crap, crap," she muttered. She shot off every last round she had in her gun, just over the cannibals head, effectively putting him far enough behind her that she momentarily lost sight of him.

She nearly cried with joy when she spotted safety.

Quickly she scrambled up a tree, not bothering to look behind her. Maybe the rain wasn't such a bad thing. The cannibal would have trouble spotting her.

She attempted to reign in her heavy breathing, not wanting to give away her position. If she did, it would ruin everything and then she would be shit out of luck. She was out of ammo and her gun was about as useless as a paperweight now. If things didn't go according to plan and Sam and Dean didn't get to her first, she was going to be somebody's dinner tonight.

Laney gripped the trunk of the tree tighter, trying to make herself as small as she could, when she finally spotted the cannibal. He'd slowed down his run to a jog, so he probably knew she was hiding somewhere.

Twenty more feet or so and she'd bag her prize.

She pulled a rock from her pants pocket and threw it in the direction she needed him to go.

He bought it.

The cannibal began running in the direction of the noise when very suddenly he lost his ground and found himself forty feet down at the bottom of a sinkhole.

With no way out.

Laney let out a squeal of delight. "Got you sucker!"

She heard the loud and angry grunts of the cannibal coming from the bottom of the hole.

 _Too bad he didn't break his neck._

"Sucks to be you!" she shouted.

She couldn't help herself.

She waited for her breathing to settle before she finally began to release her grip from the tree trunk. There was just one problem. She was terrified of heights.

It hadn't been an issue until the adrenaline had begun to wear off. She even thought that maybe she had conquered her fear.

She looked down and began to feel immediately dizzy.

 _Nope. Still terrified._

"Great, I'm stuck in a freaking tree now," she muttered.

She gripped the trunk tightly with her arms and legs, carefully straddling a strong branch. There was no way she was going to be coming down from the tree under her own power.

The cannibal continued to grunt and yell.

"Oh shut up!" yelled Laney. "You're not the only with problems," she added to herself.

Laney looked out across the swamp trying to spot her brothers, but had to shut her eyes quickly to avoid the vertigo. Her heart was pounding a million times a minute and she was sure her palms were sweating.

But there was nothing to do but sit and wait.

It was her turn to be rescued.

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Sam and Dean continued running at full speed in the direction of the first shot.

Dean was hoping they were actually heading in the right direction when he heard a couple more shots go off. This time they were much closer. They were closing in.

They both pumped their arms harder to push their speed.

Several more rounds fired and Sam worried vaguely about getting hit by a stray bullet. Although the worry was a distant thought, considering Laney was in trouble.

After a couple of minutes they reached a small clearing and saw the muddy sets of footprints.

"Do you hear that?" asked Dean, breathlessly.

Sam listened closely. "Grunting."

"It's the cannibal," said Dean. "And he doesn't sound happy."

Sam smiled. That had to be good news.

They slowly followed the footprints and the noises, when they came up to edge of a large hole.

When they peered in, they both smiled widely. The cannibal was at the bottom, with what looked to be a broken leg and no way out.

Dean let out a whoop of laughter. "That's my girl!" he exclaimed, chest swelling with pride.

Sam looked around. "Where is our girl?"

Dean looked around. "Good question."

"Laney!" shouted Sam.

"Laney, it's all good, you can come out now!" shouted Dean.

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Laney's ears perked up when she heard the sweet sounds of her brothers calling her name.

"Sammy! Dean!" she shouted, opening her eyes, just enough to see two welcome figures enter her line of sight.

"Laney? Where the hell are you?" Dean called out.

"Look up!"

Sam and Dean followed the voice and looked up.

Dean squinted in the still falling rain. Was that his sister? In a tree?

"Yes, I'm up in the tree," said Laney, reading her brother's thoughts.

"What are you doing up there?" asked Dean, standing at the base and directly underneath her.

"Bird watching," she said sarcastically.

Sam bit back a smile. "You can come down now."

"I would if I could," she said in exasperation.

"What's wrong? Are you hurt?" asked Dean, growing suddenly serious.

"Just my pride."

"What are you talking about?" asked Sam.

"I save your asses, catch the bad guy, and now I'm stuck in a freaking tree."

Dean shook his head in amusement. "Are you really stuck?"

"Don't tell me you've forgotten that I'm deathly afraid of heights," said Laney

Dean frowned. He hadn't really forgotten. But it hadn't been an issue for a really long time.

"You would think I'd be over it after all these years," said Laney. Ever since a little incident at a carnival when she was five, she'd never been able to tolerate it.

"Can you come up and get me?" she asked, her voice small.

Sam smiled. She sounded so young.

Dean sighed. His first instinct was to come up and help her down. But what if they weren't around to help her? She needed to learn to overcome her fears.

"You can do it kiddo," he said.

Laney shook her head. "If I could, I would."

"Laney, you c _an_ do it. Don't look down, feel for the branches, one step, one move at time," he said.

Sam frowned, but he understood Dean's reasoning.

Laney shook her head emphatically. "Nope, not happening!"

"Delaney!" Dean shouted in his most stern voice.

"Yes, sir," Laney said meekly.

Dean softened his tone. "Sam and I might not always be there to help you out of this type of situation. After everything you just did, you can't let this hold you back."

Laney took several deep breaths. Dean was right. She couldn't be a hunter if she could let something as stupid as her fear of heights defeat her. She opened her hands, cringing at the cramps. She did as Dean told her, keeping her eyes turned ahead and not down and felt for where she needed to go.

Sam and Dean both took up positions underneath the branch Laney was seated on. She was about twenty or so feet up. They would certainly catch her if she fell.

After a couple of tense minutes, she was sliding down the tree trunk until her feet met the ground. She knelt down as she caught her breath and waited for the hammering in her chest to settle down.

"Hey, kiddo," said Dean, giving her space. Her eyes were shut tightly.

"Hey to you," she said. "Glad you're okay."

"You and me both. That was some kind of stunt you pulled."

Laney smiled. "It worked didn't it?"

"Yeah, but how am I going to live down being rescued by my baby sister?"

"I don't care as long you live," said Laney.

Dean smiled and patted the top of her head. "You ready to get out of here."

"You have no idea."

She stood up on shaky legs and finally took a good look at her brothers. "That sucked," she said. Then she rushed to embrace them.

Dean pulled back and did a quick visual assessment of his sister's condition. She was pretty scratched up and had nice sunburn going on her face. He winced when he saw her banged up knees. He could see the knee of her bad leg was swelling and bruising.

"What happened to your leg?" he asked.

Sam looked down worriedly.

Laney looked down. "Oh. I tripped just before I raced up the tree, banged it up pretty good."

"Does it hurt?" asked Sam

"Well, it didn't until just now," she said, through gritted teeth. "I'm sure it's nothing bad."

Dean frowned. "You should have said something. I wouldn't have made you climb down the tree."

"No Dean, that was the right thing to do. I'm sure I'll thank you for it later," she said.

Suddenly he lifted her up into his arms.

"Dean!" she yelped. "I'm perfectly capable of walking out of here on my own."

"I'm sure you are, but you don't have to and we have to take care of that leg."

"Dean," Laney whined.

"Listen, kiddo. You saved our asses back there. It's time for you to let us do a little work now."

"He's right baby."

"Fine," grumbled Laney. "But what are we going to do about that flesh eating asswipe?"

Dean laughed. "We'll anonymously tip off the authorities. We'll help them put two and two together. They'll get him. He's not going anywhere."

"Ingenious plan by the way," said Sam, as they began walking back towards camp.

"I'm not the brains of this operation for nothing," Laney retorted.

"Why didn't you just shoot him?" asked Dean. "You had plenty of ammo and I know you're too good of a shot to have missed that many times."

Laney shook her head. "I couldn't do it Dean. I know he's a killer and all, but –"

"He's still human," finished Sam.

"Yeah," she sighed. "It's easier when they're ghosts or monsters, but...I just couldn't do it. Besides I think the families of those campers deserve to know what happened to their loved ones. Get to see a little justice. Get closure."

Dean nodded. "We get it."

Laney smiled in relief. She had a feeling they would. If it had really come down to her brothers lives or the cannibal's life, she wouldn't have hesitated to put him six feet under.

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Two hours later, Laney was freshly showered and laying on one of the motel room beds while Dean tended to her cuts and bruises.

Sam had wrapped her knees and placed a bag of ice on her swollen leg.

"Drink some Gatorade too," said Dean. They'd all been drinking large amounts of water since they'd been dehydrated after a day in the heat with no water.

"My turn for a quick shower," said Sam.

"Yeah okay," said Dean.

Laney smiled at her brothers. It was hard to believe that just twelve hours earlier they'd been in the middle of the Florida Everglades, held captive by a cannibal.

"You sure you're up to the drive tonight?" asked Dean.

"I'll be fine," insisted Laney. "Besides, we've got to put some distance between us and this place. It's going to be crawling with feds soon."

Dean nodded. "Yeah, I know. I called it in a little bit ago. As soon as Sammy's out of the shower, we're out of town."

Dean packed their bags and helped Laney stand up, which wasn't easy with a bag of ice strapped to her leg.

"Take some pills," said Dean, tossing her a bottle of painkillers.

She frowned. "I'll be fine."

"Humor me."

Laney sighed and took a pill.

Sam was true to his word, out of the shower and changed in less than ten minutes.

They were on the road and out of town shortly after that.

Dean breathed a sigh of relief as they left the town limits.

"I'm starving," said Laney.

"Me too," said Dean. "We'll hit a place as soon as we've gotten out of the boonies."

Laney leaned back and settled against the Impala seat. Her whole body was aching from head to toe and her leg was throbbing, yet she still felt an odd contentment and warmth. She felt a sense of real accomplishment. She felt useful, successful, proud; things she hadn't felt in a long time.

"So what did you think of your first hunt?" asked Dean, breaking into his sister's thoughts.

"You mean the butt clenching terror and the threat of losing life or limb at every turn?"

Dean laughed. "Exactly."

Laney smiled and leaned forward in her seat placing her head between her brothers.

"When can we do it again?"


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: So, only one more chapter after this one and then it's the end of Part Two of this fic. But no worries, Part Three is already 90% written! Thanks for all the wonderful reviews and love this story has received. It keeps me writing!**

Chapter 17

The Winchesters had driven several hours, crossing into Georgia, before Dean felt they had put enough distance between them and the Everglades. They'd finally collapsed into a deep slumber, exhausted from the previous 48 hours.

Laney had woken up first and slipped out of the latest, much cooler, motel room and across the street for strong coffee and donuts for all of them. She'd separated all of the dirty clothes and had them ready to make a laundry run since the motel actually had a few machines out back. She'd been humming and smiling all morning. Dean watched as she practically danced around the room.

He was so incredibly proud of her. She'd done an amazing job on her first official hunt. It hadn't exactly gone as planned – not that they ever do – but she'd handled herself like a pro, saved all their asses and got the bad guy. Maybe it was the confidence booster she needed. Maybe things were finally looking up for her – for all of them – and they could put the darkness of the last year behind them and move forward.

"Do I have snot hanging out of my nose or something?"

"Huh?" asked Dean, pulled from his thoughts.

"You've been staring at me. It's freaking me out a bit," said Laney, with a smile.

Dean blushed slightly red. "I was – uh – just thinking."

Laney shrugged indifferently. "I'm going to get this laundry started."

"Need some help?"

"Nah, I'm good. I'm not going to babysit the machine. I'll be back in a few minutes," said Laney, cinching the drawstring on the laundry bag shut.

"Okay," said Dean.

Laney smiled as she passed him head out the door.

"Hey," said Dean.

Laney stopped and turned around, "Yeah?"

Dean had so much he wanted to say, but words were not really his strong suit. He was more a man of action.

Laney waited and watched her brother.

"Uh – when you get back we'll head to the mall, maybe catch a movie and have lunch, what do you think?"

Laney looked at her brother in surprise. "Okay – uh- sure. It's been a long time since we've been to the movies."

"Good," said Dean. "As soon as the sasquatch gets out of the shower."

"Okay, I'll be back in a few," she said, shutting the door behind her.

Dean shook his head. "Moron," he muttered. It shouldn't be so difficult to have a heart to heart with his sister. He never hesitated when she was hurt or in danger, but for some reason, without that kind of pressure he found it hard to initiate a conversation that might get dangerously touchy-feely.

Sam stepped out of the bathroom, hair wet, clad in a pair of jeans.

"Where's the baby?"

"Getting laundry started," answered Dean.

Sam frowned. "She didn't have to do that. She should be taking it easy anyway."

"She wanted to. You know how she gets if it piles up," said Dean, with a chuckle. "Besides, she seems okay."

Sam nodded thoughtfully. "She's been in a good mood since we left Florida."

"Yeah, I think that hunt ended up doing more for her than any talking would have done."

"Probably," agreed Sam. "One successful hunt isn't going to change everything that quickly though."

"Don't rain on my parade Sammy. Let's enjoy this while we can."

Sam shrugged. "Yeah alright."

"Finish getting dressed. We're going to the movies."

Sam did a double take at his brother and raised his eyebrows. "Really?"

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Laney loaded both of the motel's washing machines. Her brothers went through clothes at an insane pace. Hunting really was a dirty job.

She took a seat on the bench next to the machines to give her leg a break. It was sore, but nearly back to normal. Well, almost. It would never be 100% again. But it had held up well during her little adventure through the Everglades, and aside from a little incident with a tree, she'd been successful at doing her job.

And damn if it didn't feel good.

She'd made her brothers proud, saved their lives for once, instead of the other way around, and proved that she could cut it as a hunter. Sure, it was only one hunt so far, but it had gone wrong in every possible way and she'd managed to keep it together. It was nice to be of value and not be a burden anymore. She finally felt like she was pulling her own weight.

Laney was distracted from her thoughts by a clanging, clinking sound coming from the washer. She jumped up from the bench.

 _Damn, I forgot to make sure all the pockets were empty._

She stopped the machine and went digging, looking for the culprit. Probably a handful of coins or bottle caps that Dean was forever leaving in his pockets.

She dug around for a couple of minutes before she finally felt something hard, cold, and metal. She gripped it and pulled it out, immediately paling at the sight. It was her father's dog tags.

Sam must have been carrying them.

Laney caressed the metal for a moment, running her hands over the raised lettering of her father's name before she abruptly dropped them like they were on fire.

But it was too late.

A torrent of visions – memories – nightmares – went flashing through her mind; her father telling Dean he might have to kill Sam if he couldn't save him. Her father trading his life and the Colt for the life of his first born son.

The demon, wishing Laney was dead and out of his way.

When the mind assault was over, she collapsed to the floor in a heap. Why? Why couldn't she just have five minutes of peace? Why did she have to be constantly reminded of the Hell that her life was becoming and had recently been?

She knew she could expect the nightmares to invade her sleep now. There would be no relief.

Unless...

She was going to have to tell Dean, finally, that she knew what he knew, and add what he'd only suspected, but she could confirm; that their father had gone to Hell for him and the yellow-eyed demon had been responsible.

She didn't really want to do it. But she didn't see how long she could keep the secret and survive without losing her mind.

Laney sat on the floor for several minutes, tears flowing unabated until she was able to regain control. Dean or Sam would come looking for her soon and she didn't want them to find her like that. She wiped at her face and restarted the washing machine. She quickly grabbed the dog tags and threw them in the empty laundry bag.

She took several deep calming breaths and walked back to the motel room. She swung the door open, her back to her brothers who were talking about something on the television.

"Hey, thought you got lost over there," joked Dean. "You ready to go?"

Laney turned around to face her brothers. Both of them immediately stood up, so in tuned as they were to their little sister's moods and expressions.

"What's wrong?" they asked, simultaneously.

"Dean, can I talk to you?" she asked, voice quiet and shaky.

"Of course," said Dean, concern lacing his words.

"Alone?" she added, with a sympathetic look towards Sam.

Thankfully, he didn't look hurt, just concerned. It made her heart swell even more with love for him. For the both of them.

Sam stood up. "I'll go wait for the wash to finish," he said.

Laney nodded and waited until Sam was out the door before she took a seat in the chair he'd been sitting in.

"What's wrong?" Dean asked again. Twenty minutes earlier she'd been happy and humming and now she looked haunted.

"I can't do this anymore," she said, softly.

Dean looked at her intently. That could mean so many things. "Do what exactly?" he asked.

Laney took a deep breath. "I have to tell you some things that I've been keeping from you."

Dean steeled himself, taking a deep breath. "Like what?" he asked slowly.

"It's about the nightmares – the visions – I started having when we were at Bobby's."

"About Dad?"

Laney nodded slowly. "Yeah."

Dean took a deep breath ."So tell me."

"I know what Dad told you before he died."

Dean's breath hitched. "What are you talking about?" he asked, as if he didn't have clue.

"That you had to save Sammy and if you couldn't..." Laney looked down at the floor, not sure she could finish her words.

"What?" urged Dean.

"That you might have to kill him" she finished, her voice small.

Dean clenched his jaw shut tightly. His sister had known about that for months and hadn't said a word about it? He was angry that she'd kept it from him, even though he understood why. She knew he was trying to protect her from that and so she'd kept it to herself and if it was doing even a fraction of what it had been doing to him, it was eating her up inside.

"Are you mad?" asked Laney, her voice just above a whisper.

Dean walked over to his sister and knelt down in front of her. "No. I understand why you didn't say anything. I just wish you didn't know."

Laney smiled sadly and wiped at an errant tear.

Dean thumbed it away and ran his hand through his sister's hair. "Whatever you think you have to do to stay sane, I understand," he said.

Laney nodded.

Dean studied her face for a few seconds. "There's more isn't there?" he asked. "More to tell me?"

Laney looked down, biting her lip. She nodded, unable to speak.

"It's okay. I'm listening," he said. "I can't make any promises about how I'll react. But you know I love you and whatever it is, we'll deal with."

Laney seriously doubted it would be that easy, but in for a penny, in for a pound, "You and Sam were right."

"About?"

"About yellow-eyes having something to do with Dad's death."

Dean swallowed hard. "You know what happened?"

Laney nodded jerkily.

"For how long?"

"A while….since the nightmares began."

"Tell me what happened," Dean said, stonily.

"I really don't want to," said Laney. "But if I don't, I think it's going to kill me and I can't take it anymore."

Dean grabbed her hands in his. "Just tell me."

"Dad offered yellow-eyes a deal in exchange for your life," said Laney. "Actually, he wanted to save me too, but yellow-eyes said he had no power to save me."

"What was the deal?" asked Dean. Although he pretty much knew the answer.

"The Colt and Dad's soul," said Laney.

"What does that mean?"

"Dad's in Hell."

Dean jumped up and grabbed the nearest breakable item – a lamp – and flung it at a wall. It shattered into pieces.

Laney immediately regretted her decision to tell him.

Dean rubbed his hands through his hair. "Are you sure?" he demanded, gruffly.

Laney nodded. "I saw it," she said. "A million times in my nightmares, over and over. I'm sure."

"Why didn't you tell me this before?" asked Dean, his voice filled with a palpable grief. She could feel it rolling off him in waves.

"Because I knew you were trying to deal with what Dad had told you and having such a hard time dealing with his death. I know you feel guilty Dean. I was afraid – _am_ afraid – of losing you."

Dean shook his head. "You had no right to keep this to yourself," he said angrily, pacing the room. He stopped and turned towards her. "That's the problem with this family…too many damn secrets!"

With that Dean grabbed his keys and bolted out the door. He quickly climbed into the Impala and peeled out of the parking lot, leaving a trail of dust behind him.

Laney's heart broke, but she just didn't have any tears left.

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Laney sat alone in the darkness of the motel room. Her brothers had been gone for several hours. She was beginning to wonder if either one was ever going to come back. Not that she blamed them.

Sam had heard the Impala peeling out of the parking lot and ran back to the motel room, to find a shattered lamp and glass everywhere, his sister sitting on the floor practically catatonic, and his brother gone.

When Laney had finally come back to herself, she'd told Sam everything, including what their father had told Dean. He'd taken it much more calmly and stoic than Dean; on the outside anyway. Laney knew he was a boiling mix of rage and sadness on the inside. He'd quietly walked out the door without a word and walked down the street. She'd watched until she could no longer see him.

And now she sat alone again. Scared. Full of regret. Feeling selfish for deciding to unburden herself of the secrets simply for her own well-being, not so much because she wanted her brothers to know anything, but because she'd decided she couldn't deal with one of the nastier effects of her psychic powers.

Laney got up and made another pass of the room. She'd cleaned it until it was spotless, carefully picking up each and every piece of the shattered lamp, one by one. She'd finished the laundry and repacked her brothers' bags, so they'd be ready when they came back. She'd made the beds, then unmade them, and did it all over again.

She didn't call them. She knew they needed their space.

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Sam walked a good eight hours without stopping. He had no specific destination in mind. He just wanted to get away. As if he could escape his destiny. Escape the evil that was within him. His own father had feared for him and feared him; ordered his older brother – _protector_ – to kill him if he had to. He didn't even know how to begin to process that. And Dean had known for months and kept it to himself.

Laney had known _everything._

He knew their reasons. It was the Winchester way; always trying to protect each other and do what they thought was best for one another. Most of the time it went right. But that was not the case this time. Everyone was hurting in different ways and they were falling apart for it.

Sam couldn't save his sister the agony of her visions and nightmares. He seemed to only have a fraction of the power she had and whenever it decided to rear its ugly head, it had nearly overwhelmed him. He couldn't begin to really imagine what it was like for her. He knew that for all her bluster and stubbornness, underneath, she might be the most fragile of them all.

Dean had run off because he was feeling guilty about their father's death; no doubt blaming himself. As if he could have prevented their father from making the deal. None of them could have. Everything was so freaking screwed up now.

Sam looked up, his legs were on the verge of giving out and it was time to think about resting for awhile. It was dark now and he didn't exactly know where he was. He was going to have to figure out how to get back to the motel. He was sure Dean and Laney were out looking for him at this point. He couldn't bring himself to call them to let them know he was okay. He wanted to be alone for as long as he could.

He finally saw the flashing neon lights of some roadside bar. It reminded him of the Roadhouse – or just about every dive bar he and his brother had ever hit when Dean needed to hustle pool for money.

As he approached he was shocked to see a familiar sight. The Impala.

Maybe there really was such a thing as fate.

Sam took a deep breath and entered the smoky bar, scanning the crowd for his brother. It took a minute before he spotted the familiar figure in the far corner of the bar, with several empty bottles of beer surrounding him.

He figured as much. Sam liked to sulk in silence, while Dean liked to drown his demons in alcohol. A lot like the way their father had.

Sam approached his table slowly. Dean turned around before he got to him. It was like they were so connected that either one could sense the other's presence.

Dean looked at him in surprise and contrition. Sam could already see the apology all over his face and in his eyes. He immediately felt some of the fire go out of him. Nothing that had happened was Dean's fault at all. Their father had laid an unfair burden on him. It wasn't right and Sam couldn't be mad at him for not telling him.

"Sammy, how the hell did you find me?" he asked.

Sam furrowed a brow. For all the empty liquor glasses and beer in front of his brother, Dean sounded stone cold sober.

Sam shrugged and took a seat opposite his brother. "I wasn't even looking for you. I was just out for a walk."

"A walk?" asked Dean, incredulously. "We're like over twenty miles from the motel."

Sam nodded slowly. "Sounds about right."

Dean shook his head. "Guess we couldn't get rid of each other if we tried."

Sam's lips pursed. "Is that what you were trying to do?"

Dean shook his head emphatically. "No. I just needed some space."

"I know. Me too. Laney told me everything."

Dean took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, man. That I didn't say anything."

"I get it Dean, I really do. You don't need to apologize. But I need to know what Dad meant. Am I supposed to go dark sided or something?"

"I don't know, I really don't know. He didn't say anything other than that I had to save you."

"You swear he didn't know the demon's plans for me?" urged Sam, desperate to know what was wrong with him.

"As far as I know he didn't know. Just that you were important to them."

Sam cursed and rubbed his chin.

"This is so screwed up," said Dean.

"Tell me about it."

Dean dipped his head before sighing and taking another swig of his beer.

"Don't blame yourself Dean."

"Dad shouldn't have made the trade," he said. "It was my time to go. He shouldn't have messed with that."

"I'm not sorry," said Sam, softly.

Dean looked away from his brother. He didn't want his pity or his praise.

"What are we going to do?" asked Sam.

"Stick to the plan… lay low, stay out of the demons way. Just keep hunting."

Sam shook his head. "No, we need to figure out what this demon wants with me and why the hell they want Laney dead."

"Sammy, just give me some time to figure this out, please," Dean pleaded.

Sam stared at his brother almost a full minute. With all Dean had to deal with now and had dealt with, he figured he could give him a little something.

"Okay," he finally conceded. "But we're not running from this."

"I didn't say we were. I'm just saying we can't run full on into this when we don't know exactly what we are dealing with."

"Fair enough," Sam said.

"Can I get you something to drink?" asked a passing waitress.

Sam looked at his brother and back to the waitress. "How about a bottle of Jack?"

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Laney slept fitfully in the empty room. She couldn't remember being without her brothers or someone who cared for her in a very long time. Even when she'd been left at Bobby's for short periods of time alone, it was different. Bobby's house was like a shelter, it was like a home. This was a random motel in the middle of Georgia. A thunderstorm had passed through earlier in the evening and it had scared her, being alone. She could take down a cannibal, but thunder and lightning still made her jumpy.

Laney finally gave up on getting any kind of sleep. She pulled out her cell phone. It was nearly five in the morning. She'd been alone for 18 hours. There was no sign of either of her brothers.

It defied everything she knew in her bones, but yet she was still worried, maybe they had decided they couldn't go on like this anymore; running from demons, keeping secrets. She'd kept a huge secret, given up one of Dean's, and her brothers had reacted badly. Once again her secret keeping had caused a rift, had messed things up. She'd give anything to take it all back.

But that ship had sailed.

It was time for her to think about taking care of herself and being in charge of her own destiny. She couldn't expect Sam and Dean to take care of her forever. She had powers she had barely begun to tap and couldn't even understand; getting as far away from them as she could was probably the best thing for them all. It would keep them safe.

Laney got up and began to pack her bag. Once the decision was made, she felt a kind of peace. It was nice to feel certain about something, in a life that had been defined by uncertainty.

She made one last pass over the room, making sure it was in top shape. She pulled Sam's Stanford hoodie from his bag and packed it in her own. Then she took one of Dean's flannels and tucked it in her bag. She had to have something of theirs for the road.

She pulled her bag over her shoulder and made her way to the motel office, where she called a cab that picked her up in less than ten minutes.

"Where to?" asked the cabbie.

"Anywhere but here."

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The first thing Dean heard when he woke up was groaning coming from the back seat of the Impala.

 _Sam._

Dean bit back a chuckle. He had a lot more experience in getting 'fall down on your ass drunk' than Sam did, so he never got hit with the horrible hangovers the next day. Sam on the other hand, had always been a lightweight. He would be suffering for the next day at least.

"Wakey wakey little brother," said Dean, sitting up and looking in the rearview mirror.

Sam glared at him as he rubbed at his temples. Bottle of Jack – definitely had not been one of his better ideas. It seemed a good idea at the time, a nice way to drown out the sound of his inner voice warning him that he was probably evil and would have to die someday – by the hand of his own brother. But he imagined in that in many ways it had to be a lot worse for his little sister, she probably…

Sam shot up in his seat, wincing at the movement and the spinning sensation.

"Dean, you talked to Laney last night, right?"

Dean's eyes widened. "No, I left the motel and that was it, you?"

Sam shook his head. "I left the motel after she told me what was going on and that was it. I thought you would have gone back to the room or called her at least."

Dean cursed and pulled out his cell phone to dial his sister. "I didn't realize you just took off."

"So did you," Sam pointed out.

Dean glared at his brother. "Laney, call me right away. I just want to make sure you're okay. We're on our way back."

Dean clicked the phone off and straightened himself out. Sam jumped out of the backseat and sat in the passenger seat.

"Damn," said Sam, "She probably thinks we just left her there."

Dean shook his head no, even though he pushed the car to go faster. "There's no way that kid would ever believe we'd just abandon her like that."

Sam snorted. "After everything she's gone through I don't think that she trusts anything."

"She'd never not trust us," said Dean. "I know my sister."

"She's my sister too."

"I'm just saying that her head may not be on that straight lately, but she knows how much we love her. She wouldn't do something so stupid, like running off on her own."

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Dean impatiently unlocked the motel room door and walked in. The room was immaculately clean. All traces of the lamp he'd smashed against the wall in anger the day before were gone. The beds were made. Their clean and folded clothing sat in neat stacks next to their duffle bags.

But there was no Laney. No note. No trace of her.

Sam inspected the room further, walking into the bathroom and inspecting the room closely for clues to his sister's whereabouts.

"Her stuff is gone," said Dean, disbelief in his voice.

Sam looked up, worry etched on his face. "Gone?"

"Yeah, she took all of it...everything," said Dean, pulling out his phone and dialing his sister. Voicemail again.

"Laney, where are you? Sam and I are back at the room and your stuff is gone. I don't know what you're thinking kid, but you need to get your ass back here or call us and we'll come get you."

Dean clicked the phone shut and ran his hands through his hair. He walked over to peek out the window and stopped dead in his tracks. _What the Hell?_

He ran his fingers along the window sill and put the substance up to his nose.

 _Oh shit!_

Dean's heart started thumping wildly in his chest and he felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room.

"Dean, what is it?" Sam demanded, noticing how pale his brother had gone.

Sam walked closer. "Dean? What's wrong?"

Dean held up a finger, terror on his face. "Sulfur."


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: This is the final chapter of Part Two! Part Three will begin posting in this weekend and I intend to update every other day as I have been doing so far. Please follow me as an author if you do not already so that you will not miss out on Part Three and the continued saga of the Winchester siblings. Thanks to all for you support, reads and reviews!**

Chapter 18

Laney made it as far as the next town before she had second thoughts about her ill-timed decision to try life on her own. The more she thought about it and the more distance she put between herself and her brothers, the more she realized how reactionary she was being. That was on top of being stupid.

Some genius she was. She hated letting emotions make decisions for her. She used to plan everything out so rationally and logically. She hated not feeling in control.

But she just couldn't stand the thought of sitting in that motel room, alone in the dark, waiting for her brothers to return; worried about how her revelations had altered their relationships. She let herself believe that her absence would make things easier, despite being well aware of the fact that Dean lived and breathed just to take care of her and Sam.

Now, she was sitting on a bus station bench trying to work up the nerve to call them and admit what a fool she'd been. When she pulled out her phone, she noticed that there were two missed calls from Dean and one from Sam, and she just sank further into self-recrimination. Dean had probably spent the night drinking his sorrows away, or at least trying to, as was his usual M.O., and Sam had probably been sulking somewhere, quiet and contemplative; thinking he was evil.

Laney steeled herself and hit the speed dial.

In the second it took for the phone to ring on the other line, she felt a tingling sensation start up the base of her neck and intense pressure begin to build behind her eyes. She immediately stood up, body and muscles tense and taut and high alert, as she waited for her call to connect. She knew what was coming.

 _Demon._

Dean picked up on the first ring. _"Laney! Thank God, where are you? What were you thinking?"_

Laney scanned the bus station as she felt the pressure continue to build. It was early and there were only a few people lingering around.

"Cromwell Bus Station, 32 miles from the motel and hurry. I've got trouble," she said, quickly.

She clicked the phone off before Dean even had a chance to respond, shoved it in her pocket and picked up her bag. Before she even took her first step she was suddenly grabbed from behind and yanked hard to the ground.

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"Laney?" demanded Dean, when he heard the line go dead. "Laney!"

"What's wrong?" demanded Sam.

"She's in trouble," said Dean, slamming the brakes and making a hard u-turn. "Bus station."

Which happened to be in the complete opposite direction of where they had been searching. They'd found the sulfur in the room – a clear sign that a demon had passed through – and hightailed it back to the Impala and began driving around, hoping to find some clue to where their sister had run off to.

"If that demon has her…" Sam's voice trailed off, unable to complete his sentence.

Dean nodded tightly. "Didn't sound like it, but I think she knew something was coming for her."

Dean pulled out his phone and dialed his sister again, but got no answer. Cursing, he put the pedal to the metal and pushed the Impala as fast as it would go.

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Laney tucked her legs and arms into herself and curled into a ball as a protective measure against whatever had grabbed her. She was trying to roll away when she heard a whooshing sound and the air above her head ripple as if something had just shot passed her. _Gunshot?_ No, too quiet.

"Stay still and stay down, I'll be right back," said a male voice, breath hot against her ear.

Laney froze, but did as instructed. She felt the release of his grip on her and the sound of hurried footsteps. She stayed low to the ground and opened her eyes, scanning the area again. There she saw a man, appearing to be in his mid to late 20's, running towards a wooded area that skirted the bus station terminal. He moved with speed and a surety of movement that spoke of a skilled hunter – or something else, something more sinister.

Laney couldn't be sure how her demon sensing skills actually worked. She wasn't sure if she could pinpoint a demon with accuracy or just sense their general presence. She had the distinct feeling though, that what had thrown her to the ground –protectively - was not a human at all.

She kept her eyes open on the tree line, but didn't see a thing, and if anyone in the bus station thought it was bizarre for a teenage girl to be huddled in a ball in the middle of the pavement, they didn't show it.

Laney grabbed her head and grunted with pain when there was a sudden surge of energy. She let out the breath she was holding when there was an almost immediate release of pressure. She was left with a diminished sensation over what she'd felt before. Something had met its end, yet something dangerous still lurked. The tingling sense continued.

Laney stood up feeling as though the worst of the danger had passed and started to head towards the path into the tree line that she'd seen her – _protector?-_ head to.

She was startled by a voice that came directly behind her. "I thought I told you to stay down."

Laney jumped but quickly gathered her wits. "I generally don't just do what people tell me. Especially people I don't know."

"I've noticed," he said, wryly.

Laney took a step backwards. The tingling she'd felt was rolling off of him in waves.

"Relax," he said. "I'm not the enemy."

"Says who?" asked Laney, with a snort.

The man nodded towards a bench. "Let's have a chat."

Laney looked at the bench, then back at the man, and scanned the crowd.

"Nice and public," he said, holding up his hands. "I won't try anything."

Laney swallowed hard, but secured her bag over her shoulder. "You first," she said, with a nod of her head.

The man let out a low chuckle and walked ahead of her. Laney surreptitiously pulled her handgun from her bag and placed it in the waistband of her pants. She took a seat at the far end of the bench.

When Laney finally got a good look at him, she saw that he had the most piercing clear blue eyes she'd ever seen. They were almost translucent; absolutely beautiful.

"So talk," said Laney, finding her voice and hoping her brothers weren't too far away. "Who are you? Or more importantly, _what_ are you?"

"Like you don't already know," he said.

Laney narrowed her eyes at him. He chuckled, then sighed.

"My name is Simon and I am exactly what you think I am."

Laney's whole body tensed. "Demon," she muttered under her breath.

"In the flesh," he said, with a smirk.

"So what, are you here to kill me?" she asked, as she mentally formulated a plan of escape.

Simon managed to look offended. "Why would I waste my time saving your life and having a little chat, if all I wanted was you dead?"

Laney rolled her eyes. "Uh - cause that's what you demon bastards do. Mess with people's heads."

Simon dipped his head. "That is true."

Laney tensed in her seat, her hand drifting towards the gun in her waistband.

"In most cases," he added.

"This isn't one of those cases?" asked Laney, half-distracted. She was scanning the bus station, alert for danger.

"Listen, I don't expect you to trust me. As a matter of fact I wouldn't suggest you do. But I'm not interested in killing you. On the contrary, I want you to live."

Laney's head whipped back around in his direction. "Why is that?"

"You serve a very important purpose."

Laney gritted her teeth so tightly she thought her jaw might snap. "Well, isn't that special?" she asked, sarcastically. "Everyone has some purpose for me. But you know what? I don't give a crap what purpose I'm supposed to serve. I'm going to live my life the way that I want and I don't care what anyone else says."

Simon raised an eyebrow in amusement. "You are a feisty one."

Laney took a deep breath. "Just tell me what you wanted to say and get the hell out of here already."

Simon leaned in towards her with a dangerous look. "I just saved your life. You might try and be a little more polite."

Laney swallowed hard. "Really, a demon who cares about manners?"

"I'm not like other demons. None of us are."

"Who are you talking about? Us?" asked Laney, realizing she was leaning in towards him, and quickly backing off.

"The yellow-eyed demon, he fears you. You are his end and he knows that, only he doesn't know why or how."

"I know," said Laney, with a weary sigh. "That's why he's been trying to kill me since I was born."

"He doesn't want to kill you anymore. At least not right away," said Simon.

Laney's breath quickened. "That's supposed to make feel better?" she snorted. "So what does he want?"

"He wants you alive. To study you. He wants to know how your powers work. He wants to know who – or what – gave them to you. I can guarantee you that if he gets his hands on you, it won't be a pleasant experience and so I've been charged with the primary duty of keeping you alive and out of his grasp."

Laney nearly choked. "You?" she asked, pointing a finger at him. "You, _a demon_ , is supposed to protect me?"

Laney started laughing at the ridiculousness of it all. "Oh, I've heard some good ones before. But that, that's just rich. I think you should just go back to whatever fantasy world you live in."

The next thing Laney knew, Simon was in front of her, face to face, his eyes piercing and staring right into hers. He moved like lightning. She didn't even have a moment to react.

"This is no joke," he said, his voice light, but faced deadly serious.

Laney's mouth had gone bone dry. She had to wait a moment before she could speak again. "But you're a demon."

Simon backed off, but maintained his proximity to her.

"I realize what a difficult concept this is for you; a demon, protecting you. But, like I said, me and my kind are not your run of the mill demons."

"What are you?" asked Laney, voice barely above a whisper.

"Renegades," he said, with a fond smile. "Yes, we came from Hell, but we don't exactly agree with management. Honestly, we just want to be left alone," he said, with an almost weary sigh.

Laney shook her head in disbelief. Nothing made sense anymore.

"There's a war coming," he said. "And the factions are lining up and soon they'll be using Earth as their battle ground. But that's not what we want. We Renegades have been living here among the humans for thousands of years. We've chosen not to get involved in the politics of Hell. Most of us remember what it was like when we were human. We still have some our humanity."

"Are you kidding me?" asked Laney, finding her voice.

"I'm not," said Simon. "Maybe something went wrong during the demonizing process, but we don't have the inclination towards pure evil that our brothers and sisters have."

Simon stood up and scanned the crowd. "I have to be leaving in a minute, but my point is, we want you alive. We want you to serve your purpose in defeating yellow-eyes."

"I don't know how I'm supposed to do that," said Laney.

Simon shrugged. "Honestly, neither do we. We just know that it's what you are destined to do, and we want that to happen so we can continue living in peace."

"Demons with a heart of gold," scoffed Laney.

"Not quite," said Simon. "Believe me this is for our own selfish gain and not because we care about the human race, even though we do have a certain fondness for you creatures."

"I don't believe you," said Laney, simply.

"I didn't expect that you would. But it's the truth. Take it or leave it."

Laney stood up. "But, I guess you did save my life. So, thank you?"

"You're welcome," he said. "And if you don't mind a little advice; stick close to your brothers, yeah? They've been doing a pretty good job of keeping you safe so far and it makes less work for me. Then I don't have to go killing other demons."

Laney chewed on her bottom lip. "They'll keep coming for me," she stated matter of factly.

"Yes, they will," he agreed.

Laney nodded firmly. "I'll keep fighting."

"That's the spirit," said Simon, good humor in voice, all trace of the menacing danger gone. "In the meantime, I'll be keeping tabs on you. Keep trouble from coming your way."

"I really don't need your help," insisted Laney.

"Oh my dear, you need it more than you know. Trust me, one day you're going to really need me, so you'd better hope I'm in as good a mood as I am now."

Laney closed her eyes in frustration. When she reopened them to respond, Simon was gone.

Vanished, without a trace.

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Dean drove the Impala harder and faster than he could remember. Neither he nor Sam had said a word on the drive, both lost in their thoughts, dreading the worst, hoping for the best. Both full of guilt and feeling responsible for Laney's current predicament. They'd violated their number one rule; never leave the baby unprotected.

They both straightened up in their seats as the bus station came into view. They pulled around to the parking lot and were both surprised and relieved to see their little sister sitting on a bench, safe and apparently unscathed.

The Impala screeched to a halt. Laney looked up, but her expression was almost confused.

Dean and Sam jumped out of the car.

Laney stood up but didn't even get a word in before Dean threw his arms around her and crushed her to his chest. He pulled away in time for Sam to grab her and do the same. When he let her go, they each took a seat on the bench on opposite sides of her. Defensive positions.

"Are you okay?" Dean asked, his voice gruff.

Laney looked up at him. "I think so," she said, although it came out like more of a question.

"You think so? What the hell is going on? You said you had trouble. We found sulfur back at the motel."

Laney's eyes widened in understanding. No wonder Dean sounded especially freaked. She hadn't failed to notice the shakiness in his voice.

"Demons," said Laney.

"Yeah we know," said Sam. "So what happened?"

"You're never going to believe this," she said, warning in her voice.

"Try us," said Dean.

Laney took a deep breath and glanced at both of her brothers. "A demon saved my life."

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"One more time," said Dean, pacing in front of her. "This demon said he was supposed to protect you?"

Laney shook her head in exasperated agreement. "Dean, no matter how many times I tell you the story, it's never going to make any sense."

"No kidding," said Sam. "And he didn't tell you anything about what yellow-eyes wanted with me?"

Laney gave her brother a sympathetic and guilty look. "No, and I didn't get around to asking."

Dean continued to shake his head in disbelief "No way. I don't buy it."

"All I know is that there was a demon here to attack me and this Simon person – thing – whatever – took him out."

"How can you be sure?" asked Sam.

"I felt it. I felt it die or whatever it is that demons do – go back to Hell – I don't know."

"He didn't hurt you?" asked Dean, for the millionth time.

"No, I swear. I'm fine. Just a little freaked out you know? I've got a set of demons who want to dig into my brain and figure out what I am, then kill me, and another who want to keep me safe so I can fulfill my destiny, which apparently entails taking out a major player in the demon war, though nobody can tell me how the hell I'm supposed to do that!" Laney finished with a near shout.

Sam grabbed his sister's hand and squeezed. "It's going to be okay. We'll figure it out."

"Yeah, right," she muttered.

Dean reached out and tucked an errant strand of hair behind his sister's ear. "He's right, we'll figure it out," he said softly.

Laney nodded and leaned into his touch. "Can we get out of here?"

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Laney peeled off the clothes she'd been wearing for nearly 48 hours and stared at herself in the bathroom mirror. There were dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep, but other than that, she looked normal. There was no sign of the demon-magnet she'd become or the freak she was turning out to be. She looked like she always looked, only more tired and a lot more scared.

They'd driven most of the day and crossed over the border into North Carolina before she finally declared she couldn't take it anymore and needed a shower, a meal, and a more comfortable place to sleep. She spent the drive in the front seat nestled between her two brothers, soaking up their presence and their love. None of them spoke any further of what had transpired over the last two days or most importantly about what Laney had finally told them about their father. They'd simply driven in relative silence, Dean occasionally singing along to the radio. She figured they didn't have the mental energy to have such a heavy talk. But eventually they would have to talk it out.

Laney turned the shower on, extra hot, and stepped in, hissing as the scalding water hit her back. It felt good to be getting clean again. Not that anything was going to be able to get the demon scent off her. Not that anything was going to change the fact that she had some destiny, some purpose, that she didn't understand, but everyone else seemed to be in on, but her.

She couldn't understand what she'd ever done to deserve it; what any of them had done to deserve it. Their mother had been killed. Sam had his own unknown destiny, one that their father deemed evil. And she – well she felt like a pawn in some twisted game.

Laney felt the tears begin to fall in a torrent that wasn't going to let her rein them back in. The tension and the pressure had built up in her until she had to release it. Once she'd let the gate open a little, there was no holding back. So she cried with all her might.

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"What did you get?" Dean asked, as Sam came in the motel room door carrying several container filled bags.

"Diner down the street, got some comfort food," said Sam, plopping the bags down on the table.

"Man, that'd better mean you've got some pie in that bag," said Dean.

Sam held up a bag and flashed his brother a dimpled smile.

Dean took the bag and peeked inside. "Apple _and_ Cherry?"

"You were a good boy today," said Sam, with a smirk.

Dean punched him playfully in the arm and then set about the task of getting all the food out. Laney had been cranky for food and he wanted to make sure he had a plate ready for her when she got out of the shower.

Once he was done he sat down at the table and took a bite of his cheeseburger. He reached for the remote to flip the television on, but stopped short.

Sam gave him a quizzical look. "What?"

"You hear that?"

Sam put his fork down and listened closely. He frowned. "She's crying again."

Dean slammed the remote control down and pushed his chair back from the table. "Alright, that's enough," he said.

He walked up to the bathroom door and knocked hard. "Laney, come out now! Enough is enough, I can hear you crying, come out here right now or I'm coming in."

If Sam thought his brother was wrong he didn't show it. He simply stayed at the table and watched. Truth be told, Sam was tired of his sister running off to break down in private all the time. She needed Dean's tough love.

When Dean didn't hear the water shut off, he pounded on the door again. "Laney, I know you can hear me. I mean it, out now! You've got ten seconds before I knock the door down!"

Dean got to five before he finally heard the squeaking of the shower faucet being turned off. He got to nine before he heard the lock being opened.

At ten, Laney opened the door. Eyes rimmed red and pointed at the floor.

"It's time we talked," Dean said.

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Dean gave his sister two minutes to dry herself off and change into a fresh pair of clothes. She took a seat on the bed while Dean pulled a chair up in front of her. Sam stayed at the table, ready to join in on the conversation when necessary, but letting Dean take the lead. This was his show.

Laney picked at a loose thread at the bottom of her lounge pants. She hadn't meant for her brothers to hear her crying. She hadn't even realized that they knew she'd been using shower time to cry like a baby. From the sound of Dean's voice and the look on Sam's face when she finally came out of the bathroom; they'd known an awfully long time. She totally appreciated the fact that they'd let it go on for as long as they had.

Dean cleared his throat then lifted her chin with his hand so tenderly and with such concern and love, that she had to fight back new tears.

"Hey kiddo, it's time for you to talk to us. Tell us what's going on."

Laney swallowed hard and looked towards the far wall of the room.

"Come on baby, please?" urged Dean.

"It's everything," she said finally.

"Can you be more specific?" Dean asked, light humor in his voice.

"Every time that I think I've got a handle on things, something new pops up and it's like I'm back at square one," she said, looking at her hands.

"That's life," said Sam, from across the room.

"No, that's just life for a Winchester," countered Dean.

"Dean, what about everything that's happened in just the last couple of days. What about what Dad said to you? What Simon told me? It's not normal."

"I'm not saying it is," he said, grabbing one of her hands. "But it's the crap life we've got and we'll figure out how we're going to deal with it. Together. _And_ if it's eating you up inside like this, you need to talk to us. Sammy and I are here for you. You're not alone."

"I know – it's just – "

"What?" asked Dean, leaning in towards her.

"I feel like eventually something is going to happen and it's going to be too much even for _you_ to handle and…"

Laney's voice trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.

"What is it baby?" asked Sam, getting up from his seat finally and taking a seat on the bed opposite of her.

"I'm afraid you'll decide it's too much trouble, I'm too much trouble, and you'll leave me," Laney admitted finally, a tear escaping her eyes.

Dean ran his hands through his hair. "Did you really think that Sam and I had left you behind in that motel back in Georgia?"

Laney shook her head. "Not really," she said, "Well, maybe for a split second. But that's not why I left."

"Then why did you?" Sam asked, leaning in towards her.

"I thought I was doing both of you a favor."

Dean gave her an incredulous look. "A favor how? By giving us a heart attack?"

"I thought that with these so-called gifts I have, that we know so little about, that I'd be keeping you guys safe if I got as far away as I could. I don't want either one of you getting hurt because of me. I don't to want to be your burden to bear."

Dean sighed. "You've got to get over the idea that you are some kind of burden to us, because you're not. We're family and we stick together. It's you and me and Sammy against the world, and nothing is going to break us. I don't know how many ways I have to say it or show it."

Laney looked up at her brother and met his steely gaze. She knew he absolutely meant every word he was saying.

"I don't know what to do," said Laney, with almost a wail.

"About what?" asked Sam, reaching across the space between them and grabbing her hand.

"This supposed destiny. I'm supposed to take down yellow-eyes and stop some demon war? Me? Really? And you Sammy, what does that mean if yellow-eyes wants you and says you are one of his special children, but I'm supposed to get rid of him? Does that mean I'm going to hurt you or worse? I couldn't do it Sammy," Laney said crying. "I could never hurt you. I would rather yellow-eyes win than do anything that might get you killed. I'd rather die."

Sam scooted off the bed and knelt down in front of his sister, enveloping her tiny frame in his large arms. He squeezed her tightly. God, he was so lucky to have her. He was lucky to have both his siblings. None of them saw him for the evil he might be destined to be, they only saw him for who he was; their brother, their blood, their family.

"Shhh, it's okay," said Sam, exchanging a sad look with Dean. "I know that you would never do anything to hurt either one of us."

"What if I can't help it? What if it's my gifts or something and I can't control it?"

"What if! What if!" exclaimed Dean, jumping up from his seat. "That's all we've got, a bunch of what ifs!"

Sam gave his brother a reproachful look.

Laney raised her head from Sam's chest and craned her neck to look at Dean. He looked pretty pissed off now. Which actually was a lot easier to deal with than touchy-feely, Dean. Pissed off was more his natural state.

"Listen to me, both of you," he said, pointing a finger at both of his siblings. "We're going to do things our way. Screw destiny. No one is going to tell us what to do or how to do it. We'll do it our way; the Winchester way, and any son of a bitch who tries to stop us, gets stomped. Do you two hear me?"

Laney nodded and although Sam rolled his eyes, Dean got the message. They were both on board.

"Good," said Dean, he walked over to his sister and pulled her into his arms. She put her face into his chest and listened to his heart beating beneath her ear. He was warm and safe and he loved her more than anyone else in the world, she was sure of it. And it felt good.

Dean pulled back. "And if you feel the need to cry, you do it in front of the two of us. No more running and hiding."

"I thought you hated tears," said Laney.

"What I hate, is that you have anything to cry about," said Dean, softly.

"I love you," she said, putting her arms around his waist and squeezing him tightly.

"I love you too kid."

Laney pulled away and walked over to Sam. She reached up on her tip toes and kissed him on the cheek. "I love you Sasquatch."

Sam smiled and hugged her. "I love you."

"Alright, alright, let's put the kibosh on this love fest. Food's getting cold and I'm starving," said Dean.

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"Hey kiddo, why don't you come to bed? I'll rub your back until you fall asleep."

Laney smiled at Sam. It was nearing dawn and she'd been afraid to go to sleep. She spent the night surfing the internet and catching up on e-mails and basically killing time. She was afraid of what nightmares might find her.

"I don't know," said Laney.

"It's okay. Come on, you need the sleep and Dean and I are right here if you need us," Sam urged.

Laney sighed and shut the laptop. "Alright."

She climbed into bed and settled herself.

Sam began rubbing small circles on her back just like he had since she was a baby. Less than thirty seconds later she was dead to the world.

Sam smiled fondly as he settled back into bed. He put an arm around his sister, hoping that his presence would keep her sleep undisturbed and he fell back asleep, feeling just as comforted by her as he was sure she felt by him.

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When Laney next awoke, she felt rested for the first time in awhile. When she looked over at the bedside clock, she jumped up in bed in alarm. It was 3 o'clock in the afternoon.

"It's 3! Why didn't you wake me?" asked Laney.

Dean chuckled. "I know you didn't get to sleep until early this morning," he said coming around the bed and sitting on the edge. "Besides, I think we can all use an extra day of rest."

Laney yawned and stretched. "Good idea…for once," she smirked.

"Hey, all my ideas are good."

"I think that's up for debate," said Sam, not even poking his head up from his laptop.

"Hey, no comments from the peanut gallery!"

Laney chuckled and a sighed. She grabbed a pillow and hugged it to her chest. "So, what are we going to do next?"

"Dinner?"

"No, you know what I mean. Where do we go from here? What do we do?"

Dean rubbed a hand through his hair. "We'll follow any leads that we get on the demon, but in the meantime we work cases. You need to get some more notches on your belt and there are still plenty of other evil sons of bitches out there that need to be taken down."

Dean put an arm around his sister. She leaned into his embrace and rested her head on his shoulder. It was familiar and comforting. It was home.

Sam looked up from his laptop. "Hey guys, I think I've got a case. Poltergeist trouble up in Virginia."

Dean looked at his sister and cocked an eyebrow.

Laney nodded and turned to Sam. "Sounds good to me."

 **A/N: And that concludes Part Two. Stay tuned for The Winchester Three: Part Three: A Hunter is Born. It will begin posting this weekend! Again, make sure you have me an author alerts/follows so you can catch the newest part.**


	19. Author's Note

Author's Note: Just letting you all know that I have started posting Part Three of this fic. It is titled, The Winchester Three Part 3: A Hunter is Born. You can click on my username (insearchofcheese) to find it. Happy reading!


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